Bonds
by CocytusWhisper
Summary: Makoto Moriya (FeMC) has been worn down by a decade of monster attacks during a strange hour outside of time. When she moves back to the place that it all began she finds herself caught up in a group of high schoolers who seek to end the phenomenon, but will she be able to let go of her paranoia and truly trust them, or will her suspicion be their downfall?
1. Weirdos, Weirdos Everywhere

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.). Some dialogue is identical to that present in the game itself or features only minor changes. This is not mine and is used entirely as buildup — it will not be a recurring feature once the opening of the game has passed (that is, the first trip to Tartarus) and does not compose a majority of the dialogue (though it may enter into the realm of statistical significance in chapters that focus more on description than speaking).**

 **Weirdos, Weirdos Everywhere**

Makoto sighed softly to herself as she turned the page of her book, the motion of the train combining with the late hour and making it difficult for her to remain focused. She brushed a strand of her blue hair back behind her ear — she had cut the damn stuff short to prevent it from getting in her way, but it was persistent.

 _'_ _A new school, huh?'_ She mused. _'How dull.'_

This was not the first time she had been uprooted from her home, and she was sure that it would not be the last. The world seemed to enjoy tossing her around. This time promised to be a little different, though — she was returning here, to the place where it all began.

When the announcer's tinny voice filtered through the car to inform the few passengers that they had arrived in Iwatodai, she forced herself to her feet and through the doors. As soon as she got to her dorm, she was going to pass out.

The sight that greeted her outside of the station made her sigh. She took a look at her watch — yes, it was stopped at midnight. Just her luck to be stuck walking outside during the Witching Hour. She closed her eyes, feeling for the familiar presence of her guardian spirit. A soft smile curved her lips as Pixie's power flowed through her, pushing back against the oppressive atmosphere.

Makoto pulled out her map and looked around, ignoring the coffin-covered sidewalks with the ease of years of practice. She began to walk, consulting the map at every corner. The last thing she needed was to get lost _now_. Admittedly she might need to do some awkward explaining as to how she got into the dorm without anyone noticing her, but that was preferable to just standing here for an hour killing whatever monsters decided she looked tasty. It was fun and all, but after a certain point it got repetitive.

Her trip was surprisingly uneventful — she only ran into a small handful of the creatures that infested the strange hour rather than the dozens she was used to. Were they less common here?

The real surprise came when she entered the dorm. Something surged in her stomach and a boy-shaped… thing appeared behind the counter. It wasn't human, whatever it was — its aura was far too _wrong_ for that — but something about it felt familiar.

"You're late," it told her.

She stared at it, then very deliberately raised her right hand and began cleaning out her ear with her pinky.

It continued to wait for a response, and she continued to clean her ear. When she had decided that it was clean enough, she lifted up her left hand to clean the other.

At this point, the thing's patience seemed to desert it. "If you want to proceed, then please sign here. It's a contract."

It squirmed under her stare.

"There's no need to be scared. It only binds you to accepting full responsibility for your actions."

Makoto glanced down at the paper. Indeed, the only words it contained were "I chooseth this fate of mine own free will."

She shrugged internally. _'Why the hell not? Could make things less boring for a little while, if I'm lucky.'_

She scrawled "Makoto Moriya" on the indicated line and handed it back to the thing.

It smiled at her and cheerfully said, "Time is something no one can escape. It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing won't make it go away."

 _'_ _Great, a living fortune cookie,'_ Makoto thought, more exasperated than annoyed. This was why she hated dealing with speech-capable sentients — whether they were human or not, they loved to waste words. She preferred the monsters. You knew where you stood in a life-and-death battle, and the raw killing intent on both sides was a far purer form of communication than speech.

The thing just laughed and disappeared, melting into the darkness surrounding it as if it had never been there. Makoto rolled her eyes — how typical.

It was at that moment that a panicked voice rang out from behind her.

"Who's there?"

Makoto spun towards the source of the voice, a spell gathering on the tips of her fingers. A pretty brown-haired girl was on the stairs, staring at her in shock.

 _'A human?'_ She had never been so glad for her naturally expressionless face. Without it, she was sure that she would look just as flabbergasted as the girl in front of her, and that just wouldn't do.

And that was when she noticed the gun. She brought her hand up, preparing to remove the threat, when _yet another_ human voice cut through the air.

"Wait!"

A redhead this time. Makoto trailed her eyes over the newest arrival. She was clearly calmer than the brown-haired girl, and she held herself with the grace and confidence of a fighter. She had a nice figure, but more important than that were the muscles evident on her arms and legs.

If it came to a battle, it would be important to take the redhead down hard and fast. The mere fact that these two humans were awake during the Witching Hour meant that they were dangerous — they might even have guardian spirits of their own, which meant unknown magic.

As the three faced off, the eerie green lights of the hidden hour flickered and returned to their natural state. Makoto relaxed slightly, but didn't drop her spell. The redhead followed her lead and let her guard drop before giving her a stunning smile.

"I didn't think you'd arrive so late," she said. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

 _'Kirijo, hm?'_ The school was built and operated by the Kirijo group. Makoto examined Mitsuru's face intently, ignoring the girl's blush as she noted the lines of her face. Yes, this girl was definitely from a rich family. Interesting that she seemed trained in combat — that was atypical for an heiress of her stature.

"Who's she?" the brown-haired girl asked, still tense.

Mitsuru turned to her, cheeks still slightly flushed. "She's a transfer student. There was a mix-up in the papers, so she'll be living here until a room is prepared in the girls' dorm."

 _'A mix-up in the papers?'_ Makoto couldn't recall any such thing. In fact, she was quite certain that this was the dorm she had paid for. There was something strange going on here, and she would be damned if she didn't get to the bottom of it. It definitely had something to do with the Witching Hour, which meant that it was probably life-threatening.

She refocused, realizing that the conversation had continued while she was distracted. Mitsuru was addressing her again.

"-kari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."

Kari Takeba? Oh, she must mean the jumpy girl.

This was confirmed by the subject herself, who gave her a tense smile. "Hi, I'm Yukari."

Oh, _Yu_ kari. Probably good to keep that in mind — if she ever spoke to her (hah!), using what would no doubt be interpreted as a familiar nickname would no doubt do nothing to help the tension between them.

Makoto acknowledged Yukari's greeting with a nod.

"N-nice to meet you, too…" Yukari muttered, seeming a little put-off.

"According to her files, she doesn't talk much," Mitsuru told Yukari. "I don't think she's mute, but…?"

She raised an inquiring eyebrow at Makoto, who shook her head.

"Oh, you're just quiet. That's okay, then," Yukari gave her a genuine smile this time. "I hope we'll get along!"

Makoto gave a thin smile of her own. She hadn't yet decided whether or not these two would need to be eliminated, so it was best not to get too familiar with them… Though it would likely be easier to launch a sneak attack if they trusted her, so that was also an option worth considering.

She rather hoped she wouldn't need to kill them, though — it would be a shame to ruin Mitsuru's flawless skin. Perhaps a light-based spell…?

Mitsuru, unaware of Makoto's thoughts, seemed to believe that her lack of attention was entirely due to exhaustion — which, to be fair, wasn't all that far off the mark. Makoto still wanted to pass out, she just didn't know if it would be safe to do so with these two around.

"It's getting quite late. Yukari, could you show her to her room? I still need to do a few things down here," the red-haired heiress said, moving towards the desk.

"Sure!" Yukari replied. She shot another smile at Makoto before heading up the stairs.

Makoto followed her. If this was a trap, it certainly didn't feel like one — and the odds that someone as jumpy as Yukari could be so calm while leading her to her doom were low.

"Here we are!" Yukari chirped, stopping in front of a door on the third floor. "Do you have any questions?"

Makoto had _so many questions_ , but she would find out the answers on her own. She shook her head, mentally cataloging Yukari's physique now that she was close enough to examine in full. Her fingers were calloused, and the shape of those muscles… Archery, perhaps?

"Okay," Yukari replied, but then that tenseness returned. "Um… Can I ask you something? On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

Was the girl seriously trying to obliquely ask her about the Witching Hour? They had just interacted in the entrance while bathed in its green light. It was absurd to imagine that she could be unaware of it — an entire hour every day, placed outside of clock time and filled with monsters.

Makoto just raised her eyebrow and gestured at her pristine appearance.

"Never mind," Yukari half-giggled. There was something slightly manic about the sound. "Good night!"

Makoto watched the brown-haired weirdo go into her room before entering her own. She immediately locked the door, then allowed a trickle of Pixie's magic to run through her and seal the place. It wouldn't block any traps or bugs that were already placed in the room, but it _would_ prevent anyone with malicious intent from entering without her being made aware of it. Further exhausted by the use of power, she tossed her bag on the floor and collapsed into bed without even bothering to undress.

 **AN:**

 **Welcome! I'm not exactly new to either writing or fanfiction, but I _am_ new to posting on this site. I was cleaning my room the other day and found my old copy of FES buried on the bookshelf, so I popped it into my PS2 and started playing through it again. That inspired me to write, so here I am!**

 **This story features a FeMC, but you can assume that she looks exactly like P3 MC (albeit with the addition of a (small) pair of breasts). I'm not a huge fan of the design they used for Portable's FeMC, in part because of the way that I played P3 the first time.**

 **What do I mean by that? Well, when I first played P3 I was a bored teenage girl who was tired of the lack of a female player option in the RPGs that I liked. When I saw P3 MC's design, I was thrilled — it's quite androgynous, so I headcanoned that my MC was a girl and played the game that way. I was so used to thinking of that design as being used for both male MC and female MC that the addition of a female design that really had nothing in common with it drove me insane! I guess it was kinda neat that they redid dialogue so that she would be a more upbeat person than the male character, but… Eh. I like gloomy characters, so that was also something of a wash.**

 **This story is based on a New Game Plus playthrough, so Makoto (which was, in fact, what I named my original MC — a nice unisex Japanese name!) will be somewhat overpowered. I hacked the game a little to carry over an endgame Pixie instead of starting with Orpheus — my take on hacking in games is that you don't do it during the first run, but all subsequent playthroughs are fair game for me to pull out a debugger/hex editor/etc and see what I can do! As a result, most battles are unlikely to be much of a problem for her (though I may very well up the level of difficulty in-story, because it's boring if it's _always_ a curbstomp). What _will_ have the potential to cause more problems is her general attitude, which I think is fitting for a _Persona_ game.**

 **That's enough of an AN for now, I think — I'll see you next chapter!**


	2. Control

****Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.). Some dialogue is identical to that present in the game itself, or features only minor changes. This is not mine and is used entirely as buildup — it will not be a recurring feature once the opening of the game has passed (that is, the first trip to Tartarus)** **and does not compose a majority of the dialogue (though it may enter into the realm of statistical significance in chapters that focus more on description than speaking)** **.****

 **Control**

Makoto's eyes flew open the second before the sound of Yukari's hand impacting the door rang out.

"It's Yukari. Are you awake?"

The blue-haired girl grumbled as she got out of bed and padded over to the door. Yukari was standing there, fully dressed and disgustingly cheerful for the early hour.

"Good morning! Did you sleep okay?"

Yukari cringed under the force of Makoto's glare, but rallied herself to continue.

"Um… Mitsuru-senpai wanted me to take you to school today…?"

Makoto sighed and walked back over to the bag of clothing that she had discarded the previous night. She stripped off her clothing, ignoring Yukari's surprised squeak, and changed into the school's uniform.

She returned to the door and raised an eyebrow at Yukari, whose face was burning a bright red. Makoto noted with no small amount of amusement that, despite the other girl's obvious embarrassment, she hadn't turned around or covered her eyes. This… could be useful.

Yukari spotted the glint in Makoto's eyes and huffed. She held her head high, ignoring her blush as she grabbed the blue-haired girl's arm and dragged her out of the dorm.

* * *

Makoto admitted to herself that it was a good thing that she had decided to let Yukari haul her along. Reaching the school apparently required the use of a monorail, something that wasn't mentioned on her map and that she would never have figured out herself.

She half-listened to Yukari telling her about the island that contained their school as she tried not to let the motion of the train lull her back to sleep. It was, however, a losing battle — she felt herself slipping down, and before she knew it she was being shaken awake.

Yawning, she noted with some surprise that she had been allowed to sleep for the remainder of the 15-minute trip despite the fact that she had evidently cuddled up to Yukari while asleep. The other girl was blushing and made sure to keep at least a foot of space between them as they approached the school, but glanced over at Makoto with a strange look in her eyes whenever she didn't think the blue-haired transfer student was aware of it.

Silly girl, Makoto was _always_ aware. Except for when she was asleep. Or reading. Or listening to music. Or thinking. Or distracted. Or-

Silly girl, Makoto was _sometimes_ aware. Still, this was more evidence that Yukari was unprofessional enough to get interested in a target — though Makoto was still uncertain of why exactly she was a target.

She noticed that a lot of people were greeting Yukari and giving her curious glances. Apparently the girl was popular — just what she needed. That would make it harder to cover up her disappearance if it turned out that she needed to be eliminated.

As they neared the large doors of the school, Yukari spun around and threw out her arms. "Welcome to Gekkoukan High! You're gonna love it here!"

Makoto frowned. The words had been spoken cheerfully and the other girl had a large smile on her face, but something about it rang false. The question was… Did Yukari's underlying feelings mean that _she_ , _Makoto_ could expect to hate it here, or that _she_ , _Yukari_ hated it here? If so, why?

Yukari directed her to the faculty office to get her room assignment, but before Makoto could move off, the brown-haired girl caught her arm again.

"Hey… About last night… Don't tell-" Yukari caught herself and gave a self-deprecating smile. "Right, silly me. If there's anyone that I don't need to worry about spreading things around, it's you."

Makoto rolled her eyes.

"See ya later!" Yukari called, already getting swept away in a tide of other students.

* * *

To Makoto's relief, the faculty office was easy to find. It was almost empty — there was only a single brown-haired teacher. She bore a passing resemblance to Yukari — Makoto wondered if they were related. If they were, that would be… curious. Both of her dormmates having familial connections to the school would add another layer of mystery to the fact that they were able to remain awake during the Witching Hour — was the school involved somehow?

Of course, it was also possible that Yukari and this teacher just had similar coloration. It wasn't a particularly unusual combination, after all.

"You're Makoto Moriya?" The teacher asked, looking up from the folder she was reading. "I was just looking over your file. You've lived in a lot of different places… Let's see… In 1999, your parents-"

She froze, giving Makoto a deer-in-the-headlights look. "I'm sorry! I've been so busy that I didn't have time to read this earlier."

Makoto waved it off. She hadn't been all that close to her parents anyway, so it's not like it mattered. The past was the past.

The teacher gave her a strained, thankful smile. "I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

Makoto acknowledged this with a nod. Ms. Toriumi's smile became more natural — it seemed that she hadn't expected a verbal response, so the note about her silence must have been placed earlier in the file than the date of her parents' death was. Makoto approved — teachers had no need to know her family situation, but it was important that they not waste words by calling on her in class.

"You've been assigned to 2-F, which is my class," Ms. Toriumi continued. "But first we should head to the auditorium for the Welcoming Ceremony. Follow me!"

* * *

The auditorium was larger than Makoto had expected, and many of the seats were empty. The principal, a rotund old man with a bushy mustache, was practically quivering with nerves as he stepped up to speak.

She sighed and tuned out his boring preaching about the value of hard work.

"Pst, hey!" A boy behind her whispered. "I saw you walking with Yukari this morning. Do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

 _'_ _Considering the way she was staring at me earlier, that may be the wrong question,'_ Makoto mused. Rather than answering, however, she stared at him blankly until he flinched back.

"Right, um, sorry for bothering you! I'll just be… Over here, not doing that!" He spluttered, retreating as far back as his chair would let him go.

Makoto smiled to herself as she turned back towards the front of the room and returned to her daydreaming, only half-aware of an argument starting between Ms. Toriumi and another teacher about the need for students to remain quiet while the principal indulged in his long-winded babble.

She must have dozed off again, because she woke up near the end of the speech when the girl sitting next to her shook her awake.

Makoto drifted along to her classroom with the rest of the students, planning to nap through whatever lecture was coming up. She clearly needed more sleep than she had been getting.

She dropped into a chair near the back, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

"'Sup! How's it goin'?"

She wasn't sure how long she slept, but it certainly wasn't long enough to deal with an obnoxiously loud voice waking her up. She opened her eyes and fixed the baseball cap-wearing boy that had interrupted her rest with a bleary glare as students milled around, slowly draining out of the room. Were classes really over already?

"Oh, come on. Let me introduce myself, at least," he grumbled, wilting. "I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya! I transferred here when I was in 8th grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid… So I wanted to say, 'hey.' See what a nice guy I am!"

No, Makoto did not. Here she was, trying to get some sleep, and Mr. Tall-and-Scraggly here just _had_ to disturb her. She considered throwing one of her books at him, but before she could decide which one would do the most damage Yukari spotted them from her place a few rows up. The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes as she walked over.

"Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" Junpei called, his smile returning. "I didn't think we'd be in the same class again!"

Yukari groaned. "At it again, huh? Can't you see she doesn't want you bothering her?"

"Nah, we're cool! She's just a little cranky that I woke her up, right? She'd say something if she wanted me to go," Junpei laughed, directing his smile back at Makoto.

She returned it with a scowl, and the smile vanished again.

"She doesn't talk," Yukari told him, smirking. "If she's glaring at you like that, I think it's pretty obvious that she wants to be left alone."

…she had been thinking it since they got off the train, but maybe Yukari really wasn't so bad. Twitchy, but if she was new to the Witching Hour that could be excused. She still needed to be watched closely, and managed if at all possible, but… She was useful to have around for things like this.

Yukari dismissed Junpei and smiled at her. "Some coincidence that we'd be in the same homeroom, huh?"

Makoto returned the smile.

"Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class too?" It seemed that Junpei really didn't like getting shut out of conversations, because Makoto doubted that he could sound more annoyed if he tried.

"By the way," the boy drawled, a smirk working its way onto his face. "I heard you two came to school this morning. Something you wanna share with the class, Yuka-tan? Break the hearts of all the boys?"

Makoto revised her opinion of Junpei as a red-faced Yukari sputtered denials. The boy was clearly more perceptive than he looked, if Yukari's behavior this morning had been anything to go by. Of course, he could also simply be teasing to rile Yukari up — there was nothing strange at all about a pair of girls going to school together, despite the brown-haired girl's reaction. That reaction was, in fact, the only suspicious thing about it.

That said… The more flustered Yukari was, the less attention she had to devote to any kind of planning or observation of Makoto. The girl in question had her back to Makoto's desk, so the transfer student gestured with her hands and hoped that Junpei could figure out what she meant. Luckily for her, it seemed that her new estimation of him was at least somewhat correct.

"Oh yeah? So what color underwear is she wearing today, then?" he asked, grinning broadly.

"Green-" Yukari froze as the word left her mouth. Makoto wasn't even sure that she was breathing.

Junpei doubled over in laughter. A smile tugged at the edge of Makoto's mouth. Watching Yukari break down like this was amusing, and the fact that Junpei could cause it so easily made him useful — if she could have a normal person around to keep a threat off-balance, that would be wonderful. Yukari could manage Junpei, and Junpei could manage Yukari. A few students who had been eavesdropping on the conversation were staring at Yukari, mouths open.

"L-Listen!" Yukari begged. "I just met her yesterday! There's absolutely nothing between us!"

A flurry of whispers burst out across the classroom. Yukari groaned and collapsed into the seat next to Makoto, burying her face in her hands. "Thanks Stupei," she muttered. "This was _exactly_ how I wanted to start the new school year."

To his credit, the boy looked sheepish. "Sorry," he offered weakly as he leaned against a desk in front of them. "I didn't realize how many people were listening in."

"And to think I thought I didn't have to worry about last night because you don't talk," Yukari sighed, giving Makoto a glare that lacked any real heat. It was clear that she didn't suspect the quiet girl had given Junpei any hints, which was probably for the best.

"Wait, so you really-" Junpei began, eyes wide.

"No!" Yukari hissed. "It's nothing like that."

"If you say so," Junpei said, rolling his eyes. "Not like I'm gonna judge ya, Yuka-tan. Do what makes you happy."

Yukari blinked, her anger disappearing in an instant. She obviously hadn't been expecting that kind of response. Makoto's opinion of Junpei went up another notch. She doubted she'd ever _like_ him, but he was proving tolerable despite the idiocy of his initial approach.

"Whatever," Yukari muttered, trying to hold on to some of her resentment. "Just think a little harder before you start any more rumors, okay?"

"Cross my heart," Junpei promised. "Tell ya what, I'll see if I can't get the word out that I tricked you there. They all know me — shouldn't be too hard to convince them that I was full of shit."

Yukari gave him a strange look. "You'd really do that?"

"Sure, why not? I don't have much of a reputation to protect, ya know," he laughed. "Not like you, Miss-Queen-of-the-School."

"I think you're confusing me with Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari said, a reluctant smile making its way onto her face. "And… Thanks for the offer, but it's fine. I'll deal with it myself."

Makoto blinked. She had expected Yukari to take Junpei up on his offer, so… Either Yukari wasn't quite as far in the closet as she seemed or Makoto was missing something here. Perhaps the girl had some more effective way of quashing the rumor? She dismissed it — whether Yukari wanted rumors that she was a lesbian to spread or not was up to her.

That said, if Yukari truly was infatuated with her, as the evidence thus far suggested… That was, perhaps, something to cultivate. It would be an excellent deterrent against a betrayal. Still, Makoto balked at the idea of doing anything overt — the thought of actively pursuing a relationship with someone, even as protection, made her nauseous. Letting someone that close was just asking for trouble.

"I've got to go do some errands for archery club," Yukari announced as she stood up. "I'll see you later, okay Makoto?"

Makoto smiled and waved her off. The moment Yukari left, Junpei leaned in.

"Believe it or not," he whispered. "She's actually pretty popular. A lot of guys are gonna be after your head — let me know if anyone gives you too hard a time, okay?"

 _'Did he just offer to protect me?'_ Makoto wondered incredulously. That had never happened before. It had always been Makoto against the world, and she was proud of her perfect score. Part of her wanted to be insulted — she wasn't some fragile doll, she could handle any idiots who thought that she was 'stealing' Yukari from them — but she was also flattered, if extremely suspicious.

She had seen the way that Junpei looked at Yukari when she first walked over. When he asked Yukari if she was planning to "break the hearts of all the boys", he hadn't been excluding himself. And yet… Here he was, not only choosing to be accepting (if not entirely correct on the details — Yukari was telling the truth, there _was_ nothing between them) but willing to defend them against anyone who wasn't.

Makoto could respect that. He may be an idiot, but he was a good guy… Unless this was a ploy to get her to drop her guard. He was more perceptive than she had thought — perhaps he was also better at hiding his true feelings? Two could play at that game.

She smiled at him and patted his hand.

"Yeah, I'm sure you can take care of them yourself," he laughed. "But that doesn't mean you should have to do it alone. Nothin' wrong with wanting friends standing with you in a fight. No one can do it alone all the time, yeah?"

Well there was a thing. A teenager willing to admit that he wasn't all-powerful. Perhaps she should petition for him to be named one of the wonders of the modern world. There _was_ precedent for naming living people national treasures…

"This is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!" Junpei laughed, pumping his fist.

Makoto thought about disagreeing, but…

This was the first time that she had ever actually had people decide to spend time with her, and none of them seemed all that bad. If they were genuine, she had a source of amusement for however long she remained here at this school. If they weren't, well… Junpei was a normal human, and thus of little consequence. She would rather not have to kill Yukari, as the girl was proving interesting and covering up after the disappearance of a popular girl would be difficult. The jury was still out on Mitsuru — they had only interacted briefly, after all — but she stood by her feelings from last night. Marring that skin would be a _sin_.

The blue-haired girl let Junpei lead her out of the building, only half-listening as he rambled on about the other students in the class. She gave a noncommittal shrug when he asked her about joining a sports club — it wasn't outside of the realm of possibility, she supposed, but the odds were low. She would be expected to socialize with team members, and that didn't appeal to her at all. The two-maybe-three people that she was considering spending time around were more than enough.

* * *

"Welcome back," Mitsuru greeted her as she entered the dorm, looking up from the newspaper. "How was your first day?"

Makoto shrugged, collapsing onto the couch across from her. Yukari spotted them and moved over from the kitchen, a cup of tea in her hands. She sat next to Makoto, closer than the quiet girl would have expected based on her earlier embarrassment. This could be an opportunity to test her theory from earlier. If she leaned over just a little…

Yukari's cup wobbled in her hand, but she made no move to escape as Makoto nuzzled into her neck. It was just as comfortable as it had been on the train.

 _'Yukari should charge for the use of her shoulder as a pillow,'_ Makoto thought idly, suppressing a smirk. If it was this easy to get close to the girl, that would be perfect — all Makoto would need to do was show a little affection to throw Yukari's feelings about any kind of traitorous action into turmoil.

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow, but didn't say a word. If Makoto wasn't mistaken, there was even a hint of a smile on her face. Curious… Either Yukari was bait, or Mitsuru simply took pleasure in the apparent closeness of others. This would require further investigation.

"S-so, how was your day, Mitsuru-senpai?" Yukari asked, voice a little too loud.

"It was rather busy, but nothing that I couldn't handle," the red-headed senior replied, now openly grinning at them. "There's always so much paperwork for the student council to deal with at the start of a new year…"

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure there is…" Yukari agreed, wincing. "It's bad enough for me, and I'm just in archery club."

She took a sip of her tea, the tension in her shoulders relaxing.

"You look quite tired there, Moriya," Mitsuru said gently. "Would you like to head up to bed?"

Makoto waved her off and snuggled deeper into Yukari. She almost jolted when she felt the girl wrap an arm around her body — first Junpei, now Yukari. Why was she misreading people so badly today? She never would have expected the brown-haired girl to get comfortable with her so quickly based on their initial meeting.

…right, the Witching Hour. Perhaps she shouldn't be basing her assumptions about someone based on how stressed the constant threat of a monster attack made them.

"It's okay, senpai," Yukari said. "I'll make sure she gets up to her room when I go to bed. I was just going to sit here and think for a while, anyway."

"All right." Makoto could _hear_ the smirk in Mitsuru's voice. "Goodnight, you two."

She heard the older girl's footsteps heading towards the stairs. The last thing that Makoto was conscious of before sleep claimed her was the feeling of Yukari shifting and laying her head on top of the blue-haired girl's.

 _'_ _Somehow,'_ she thought, ' _I don't think either of us are going to make it to bed tonight.'_

 **AN:**

 **Yukari's acting a little strange, huh… I wonder if something critical has changed? Well, really, there are plenty of little hints about larger changes scattered in the first two chapters, and they won't be letting up for some time. I wonder how many you can find?**

 **Whether or not it will actually be a ship… Who knows? Makoto's not very good at trusting people, and it's not like Yukari doesn't have plenty of hangups of her own… So anything pairing-wise is very much up in the air. Makoto's certainly willing to use anything that gets tossed her way, though… Trouble ahead?**

 **As should be clear, I have no intention of doing any character bashing. Do I think Junpei is something of an idiot and find his attitude throughout much of the game frustrating as hell? Absolutely. Do I think he's a bad guy who needs to be treated horribly? Absolutely not. Junpei's got some flaws, but at his core he's a nice guy suffering from a terminal case of Anime Tropes. I would need to flanderize him pretty badly to change that, and I don't think that would do anything to improve the story. I won't be writing things like his jealousy out of the picture, but there's a lot more to him than just that.**

 **I'm not going to be holding chapters hostage for reviews — my plan is to release one a week, and hopefully I can keep that up. I didn't start posting until I had about two months' worth stored up, so as long as I can write a chapter every few days I should be good to go, but…?**

 **That said, I would love to have reviews to let me know what I'm doing well and what I'm doing poorly! I can't improve without feedback, after all. If there are things people want to see more of or less of or whatever, I'll take it under advisement — no chapter is _final_ until it's been posted, so I'll be making tweaks based on the feedback that I receive. If I don't get any feedback, I'll just be tweaking things to _my_ liking, which… I mean, okay, that means I'll have a story that I like out there, and that's great, but I'd also like at least _somebody_ else to be enjoying it. Feel free to enjoy mocking it, if you want! That's cool too. The key is having fun. Please don't keep reading if you _hate_ the story, though — I don't want you to waste your time. I would love to know what it is that turned you off so badly so that I can address it if it's a significant issue with my writing, though! Toss out a flame if it makes you feel better (I'll even read it, and I won't be upset or anything!), but then go read things that you _do_ like! There's tons of stuff on this site, so I'm sure you can find _something_ that suits your tastes.**

 **I'll respond by PM to any review I get from a logged-in individual, positive or negative (unless you have those turned off or explicitly state that you don't want to hear from me) so don't be afraid to start conversations! For the most part I'll avoid spoilers in such responses (unless they're _required_ to address a specific question), and some things I won't spoil (or can't spoil) no matter what, but you're welcome to ask for them!**


	3. Dreams of Velvet

****Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.). Some dialogue is identical to that present in the game itself, or features only minor changes. This is not mine and is used entirely as buildup — it will not be a recurring feature once the opening of the game has passed (that is, the first trip to Tartarus)** **and does not compose a majority of the dialogue (though it may enter into the realm of statistical significance in chapters that focus more on description than speaking)** **.****

 **Dreams of Velvet**

"You two are adorable, but you need to wake up."

Makoto groaned as she forced her eyes open. A blurry red-haired blob was standing in front of the couch.

As the clarity of her sight returned to her, so did her other senses. Yukari was still asleep and cuddled up against her, and someone had draped a blanket over them during the night. She raised an eyebrow at the smirking Mitsuru.

"Akihiko brought that for you when he got back last night. He was under the impression that I'd forbidden the pair of you from being behind a closed door together," the senior replied, laughing. Her eyes froze over. "Which isn't a bad idea, in fact. I won't do that right now, but if you give me a reason…"

Makoto rolled her eyes, but nodded — Mitsuru had absolutely nothing to worry about. Akihiko, though? She hadn't heard that name yet. Another dormmate?

"Akihiko is a senior like me. I'm sure you'll meet him soon — he lives on the second floor."

That answered that, then. Makoto looked over at the window and winced as sunlight caught her in the eye.

Oh.

She gently shook Yukari's shoulder. The other girl muttered some unflattering things about her parentage as she slowly returned to wakefulness. It was actually rather cute, and made Makoto wonder how the girl had been so cheerful the previous morning. Perhaps an overdose of caffeine had been involved?

When Yukari's eyes finally focused, she found Makoto's face inches from her own. She squeaked and threw herself back, face red as a tomato. The force of the motion caused her to fall off the couch, blanket wrapped tightly around her wrist, and crash into Mitsuru, bringing both of them to the ground in a tangle of limbs. It took all of Makoto's self-control to stop herself from letting a full laugh escape her mouth — they looked ridiculous like that, and would be absolutely helpless if she were to attack. As it was, the knowing look Mitsuru was giving her made it clear that the heiress had heard the puff of air.

"M-Mitsuru-senpai! What a surprise to see you here!" Yukari chuckled weakly, trying to stand up.

"Yes, who would expect to see me in the lounge of my own dorm," Mitsuru drawled from her place beneath the junior. "I would certainly never be found waking up a pair of delinquents so that they would have time to prepare for class."

Yukari flushed harder, trying to stammer out a response as she finally worked a hand free from the blanket. Makoto stuck out her own hand to help, and the brown-haired girl took it gratefully. As she tried to pull herself up, though, it became clear that neither side had actually been braced for the effort.

When a silver-haired boy ( _'Akihiko?'_ Makoto wondered) came down the stairs in response to the loud thump, it was to the sight of a pair of laughing girls on the floor beneath an irritated Makoto. He stared for a moment, but then shook his head and walked out the door without saying a word. Makoto commended him on his self-control — he hadn't even cracked a smile.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mitsuru was the first to regain control of herself. "The pair of you had best go and get yourselves ready for class. You only have an hour."

Yukari squeaked and pushed Makoto off of her, successfully managing to stand up this time. Makoto looked up at the other girl and raised both of her eyebrows. Shoving her, really? What had happened to manners?

"I am _not_ going to wash your back!" Yukari hissed, cheeks flaring.

"Oh my, Takeba. You're so forward," Mitsuru laughed, getting to her own feet.

"What? But, she-"

"Said nothing," Mitsuru pointed out, reaching down and hauling Makoto upright by the scruff of her neck.

Yukari's eyes widened and she fled up the stairs, presumably to shower and change.

Mitsuru shook her head, letting out an unladylike snort. "That girl…"

Makoto caught her eye and shrugged.

"Oh, don't act like you're not a part of this. I saw your face," Mitsuru admonished, wagging a finger at her. "You're lucky Takeba is more fun to tease than you are."

Ah, an opportunity to look like she had been harmlessly flirtatious. Makoto widened her eyes innocently, but Mitsuru just waved her off. "Go get dressed, you. I'm not going to be lenient just because it's your second day of classes here."

The blue-haired girl heaved a dramatic sigh, but obeyed and trudged off up the stairs.

* * *

Class was boring _everywhere_ , Makoto concluded. She considered herself something of an expert on the subject, having attended a different school every year for the past ten years. There had even been a couple of times where she had attended two in a single year, swapping out between terms.

It really didn't help that Ms. Toriumi clearly didn't want to be in the classroom either. She spent more time complaining about how much she hated the author of the book they were working with than she did actually teaching.

Poor Junpei was singled out when she decided to ask the class about her favorite author, though. Makoto hadn't been paying attention, so when the boy begged her to help him out she could only shrug.

…not that she'd have actually told him even if she knew the answer, though. That would require speaking.

She fell asleep halfway through Ms. Toriumi's lecture about the importance of paying attention in class, and the next thing she knew Yukari was waking her up at the end of the school day. Junpei was standing behind her, an amused look on his face.

"How much do you _sleep_?" The girl asked incredulously. "I think you've been zonked out for more than half of the time that I've known you."

That was probably fair, Makoto conceded. She always slept a lot, but this was an unusual amount even for her. What exactly was going on in this place? Even when it wasn't the Witching Hour, it felt like she was struggling against… something, but something that was _inside_ of her rather than coming from the outside.

Still, all of that could be dealt with later. For now she just shrugged, content to keep Yukari and Junpei in the dark. If they ever _needed_ to know, she could write it down for them or something. Junpei had proven himself adept at charades the previous day, so maybe she could skip that and just act it out.

"So, you wanna go hang? Maybe do some karaoke or somethin'?" Junpei asked, grinning broadly.

"Sorry, no can do," Yukari apologized. "The Chairman is supposed to be visiting the dorm today, and I'm supposed to make sure Makoto here makes it back and has a chance to meet him."

"The Chairman? Like, of the school board?" Junpei's eyes were popping out of his head. "What does he want with you guys?"

"I think he's probably checking up to make sure Makoto's settling into things." Yukari seemed confident, but something about her eyes was a little shifty. What wasn't she saying?

"Whaaat? He didn't do anything like that when I transferred!" Junpei complained.

"Yeah, but you're a blabbermouth. I don't think anyone thought you'd have trouble making friends," Yukari pointed out, smirking.

Junpei clutched at his heart, a pained look on his face. "So cruel, Yuka-tan! Suggesting that poor little Makoto-chan here can't make friends!"

"What, no!" Yukari panicked, looking at Makoto with wide eyes. For her part, Makoto made sure to paste the most dejected expression she could onto her face. A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.

The next thing she knew, her lap was full of Yukari telling her that she was very sweet and that there was nothing wrong with being quiet and they were friends and-

Makoto couldn't help it. She let out a snort.

"You-" Yukari sputtered. "You weren't really upset at all, were you?"

Makoto shrugged, ignoring Junpei's attempt for a high-five. Yukari looked like she was trying to be angry, but she eventually settled for shaking her head with a reluctant smile on her face.

"You two are the worst, you know that? I never would have thought that someone so quiet could be such a troublemaker."

She slipped off of Makoto's lap and pulled her to her feet, ignoring the whispers of the other students in the classroom.

"Come on, Makoto. Let's go see the Chairman."

Makoto waved goodbye to Junpei as she was dragged out of the room, careful not to call Yukari's attention to the fact that they were still holding hands — a fact not lost on Junpei, if his smirk was anything to go by.

* * *

Makoto's first impression of Shuji Ikutsuki was that he used too much hair gel.

Makoto's second impression of Shuji Ikutsuki was that he had a horrible sense of humor.

How had this man become Chairman of the Board?

"I apologize about the confusion regarding your accomodations," he said after it became clear that she had no intention of laughing at his pitiful attempts at jokes. "However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment."

There it was again, that bizarre claim that this wasn't the right dorm. What were these people hiding?

"Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

Makoto stared at him blankly.

"She… doesn't talk much, sir," Yukari apologized. "I think she's wondering why you bothered coming out here yourself, though."

Makoto almost liked Yukari. This girl got her.

"Ah! I'm here to welcome you, of course," the man beamed. "Speaking of which… Where's Mitsuru, Yukari?"

"I don't know. In her room, maybe?"

"As diligent as always. Would it hurt her to come down and say hello?" Now the man was pouting. Was he a giant child? "Do you have any more questions?"

Makoto shook her head, leaned against Yukari's shoulder, and closed her eyes.

"I think she's tired, sir," Yukari said, automatically wrapping an arm around Makoto's shoulders.

"So I see," Ikutsuki chuckled. "Perhaps she should go to bed? As they say, 'the early bird catches the bookworm'!"

"I don't think she's aiming for Mitsuru, sir." The words had clearly left Yukari's mouth before she had time to process them, and Makoto was once again treated to the sight of the girl doing her best impression of a tomato as she forgot how to breathe.

The Chairman burst out into a deep belly laugh. Rather than ending, however, the laugh continued until he was lying on the ground wheezing. Makoto wondered if Yukari could be arrested for causing the insufferable man to laugh himself to death.

Yukari sighed. "You'll get used to him and his lame jokes," she muttered to Makoto. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

Makoto allowed Yukari to drag her up the stairs and into her room. "Good night, Makoto," Yukari said with a smile as she closed the door. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Makoto changed into her pajamas and slipped into bed. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Her first impression was of light, a pillar of light in the midst of a great darkness. Out of the light emerged a blue door, which opened as she flew toward it. Before she knew it, she was sitting in a chair in an enormous elevator bathed in that same blue as it moved forever upwards through the inky black void.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," purred a creature wearing the shape of an old man in a tailored suit. Its appearance was strange, an enormous, beaklike nose paired with bloodshot eyes of unequal size and long fingers that bent in ways that human fingers were not meant to bend. The top of its head was bald and reflected the room's blue light, while a messy shock of white hair lay over its hunched back.

"My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

Igor? An appropriate name for a creature that wouldn't be out of place serving as the assistant of a mad scientist in a horror film.

Seemingly unaware of her thoughts, it continued speaking. "This is Elizabeth. She's a resident here, like myself."

The creature it gestured at was similarly inhuman, but was clothed in the shape of an attractive young woman. It was unnaturally pale, with pure white skin and hair and golden eyes.

"Pleased to meet you," Elizabeth greeted.

Makoto acknowledged it with a nod, but didn't allow her focus to leave Igor. This pair reeked of a strange power, and it was unclear whether or not they intended to attack her. The fact that they had been able to summon her from her bed was evidence enough of the threat that they could pose.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter…" Igor murmured. "Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place… But do not fear, your body is still safe in bed."

The man-shaped creature gestured at the table, and the contract she had signed when she first entered the dorm lay innocently on the table as if it had always been there.

"Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return… that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make."

Makoto didn't like the sound of that. She didn't like the sound of that _at all_.

Oh, she had every intention of taking responsibility for her actions — that was no trouble. The idea of relying on Igor's help to improve some 'power' that she had… That was unacceptable, and she was sure that her feelings were displayed clearly on her face.

"Is there a problem?" Igor asked, raising one of its enormous eyebrows even higher.

Makoto frowned at it.

"Ah, I see… The self-reliant type, are you?" It chuckled. "I assure you, I am merely a facilitator — nothing more. The power is all your own. But I'm getting ahead of myself." The creature gestured again and a blue key appeared on the table in front of her. "Here, take this with you. The next time we meet, I will explain my role more fully."

Makoto picked up the key — it felt like it was made of glass.

"'Til we meet again…"

Igor's unnerving grin was the last thing Makoto saw as the room melted away.


	4. Malls and Cooking

****Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.). Some dialogue is identical to that present in the game itself, or features only minor changes. This is not mine and is used entirely as buildup — it will not be a recurring feature once the opening of the game has passed (that is, the first trip to Tartarus)** **and does not compose a majority of the dialogue (though it may enter into the realm of statistical significance in chapters that focus more on description than speaking)** **.****

 **Malls and Cooking**

When Makoto opened her eyes, the sunlight was streaming into her room. She was wrapped in her blankets, exactly as she had been before she was taken to the Velvet Room.

Whatever Igor was, it was damn good at its job. Makoto resolved to set up barriers against magical interference before she next went to bed — she refused to be vulnerable to anything.

The sound of a knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts and made her realize that she hadn't even set up a _physical_ barrier last night.

Makoto cursed herself — she was getting sloppy. She may be starting to think of Yukari as relatively unthreatening (especially with her budding infatuation in the way), but she still hadn't _confirmed_ that the girl wasn't dangerous to her. Starting to _trust_ her was just asking to be stabbed in the back. Hadn't she learned that yet?

Still, it was best not to raise any suspicions, so she would need to remain friendly to the girl. In the best case scenario, Yukari would turn out to be trustworthy and she could transition to genuine warmth of feeling. In the worst case scenario…

Well, it was nothing she hadn't had to deal with before, though Yukari's popularity might add a new layer of difficulty.

Makoto slipped out of her bed and padded over to her bag to retrieve some clothing for the day. A second knock, slightly louder, rang out as she finally located her spare towel.

When she opened the door, Yukari's third knock nearly impacted her forehead. As it was, she felt a whisper of air disturb her hair.

"Ooops," Yukari stammered. "Sorry!"

Makoto gave her a light glare. The force generated by that last blow made it clear that the girl had been going for enough volume to wake up a sleeping Makoto. While it wouldn't have done any lasting damage if it had hit her, she probably would have felt the impact.

"Well it's not like I knew you were going to open the door right at that moment," Yukari huffed, frowning back. "I'm just glad you're so short — I'd hate to have to tell Mitsuru-senpai that you were in the hospital because I gave you a concussion."

Makoto rolled her eyes. If a hit like that were enough to give her a concussion, she'd never have survived this long. She had wondered before, but just how new was Yukari to the Witching Hour? Was it possible for someone to develop the ability to move within its boundary rather than have it since birth? Come to think of it, had _Makoto_ experienced it before that day ten years ago? She had few memories from before then, so she truly couldn't say.

Still, it didn't _appear_ to have been a deliberate attack, so there was really no point in appearing to hold a grudge. She gave her brown-haired dormmate an exasperated smile and patted her hand as she moved off toward the shower.

The blue-haired girl was pleasantly surprised at the lack of an attack when her back was turned. Either it really _wasn't_ an intentional attack or Yukari had decided to bide her time before trying again. She could think about that later, after her upcoming date with the nice, warm water.

* * *

Makoto and Yukari ran into Junpei at the gate of the school. The boy looked half-asleep, and other students were taking care not to let him crash into them when he closed his eyes to yawn.

"Hey guys," he mumbled. "I'm exhausted."

"You're not planning to sleep in class, are you?" Yukari groaned, rolling her eyes. "It's bad enough that this one can't keep her eyes open for five minutes, I don't need to be worrying about you too." She punctuated her statement with a light tap to the top of Makoto's head.

"Whaaat? Yuka-tan, at times like these, sleeping during class is the best!" Junpei protested. "You agree with me, right Makoto? Sleeping in class is way more relaxing than sleeping at home."

Makoto nodded vigorously.

"Oh yeah? And what about when you get tested on the material you ignored?" Yukari asked archly.

"Then I'm screwed!" Junpei proclaimed proudly.

Yukari moved her resigned gaze to Makoto, who shrugged. It's not like they were ever tested on anything hard.

"Whatever," she muttered. "Just be careful during Classic Lit, guys."

"Shiiit, that's today?" Junpei asked, wincing. Noticing Makoto's confusion, he clarified. "The teacher, Ekoda, is a real ass."

"What Stupei means is that Mr. Ekoda is a stickler for the rules when they make him look good," Yukari broke in. "He hates it when people aren't paying attention to him, so at least try to look like you're listening."

Oh, one of _those_ teachers. Makoto nodded, already planning out the best angle for sleeping upright at one of Gekkoukan's desks. Yukari had probably guessed the direction that her thoughts had taken, if the fondly exasperated smile was anything to go by. What? So she liked her sleep!

Unfortunately, Makoto's attempted nap was immediately interrupted. Neither Yukari nor Junpei had seen fit to tell her just how _loud_ the man was. He was all the way up at the front of the room, but his furious exhortations about how nobody but he understood the true importance of the Classic Literature class sounded like they were being screamed into a megaphone.

She carefully allowed her hand to slip into her pocket. This wasn't the first time she'd encountered loud noises when she wanted to sleep, so she was prepared. A quick bit of sleight-of-hand and her ears were plugged, allowing her to doze off with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

* * *

When she was shaken awake, she found herself looking at Junpei's wide smile and Yukari's incredulous face. She pulled out her earplugs and placed them back in her pocket, then gave the pair a smug grin.

"I can't believe it," the brown-haired girl grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Sleeping with your eyes open?"

"You're great!" Junpei praised. "He caught me halfway through class, but he didn't suspect you at all! Teach me, o wise master!" He punctuated this with a deep bow, which caught Yukari's rising knee at exactly the right moment to knock the breath from his lungs. He groaned as he fell to his knees. "So cruel, Yuka-tan…"

"Idiot," she replied, shaking her head.

Makoto reached out and patted Junpei on the shoulder.

"I'll be okay," he wheezed, slowly getting back to his feet. "Damn, you should join the wrestling team or something."

"We don't _have_ a wrestling team," Yukari pointed out.

"Oh, really? I could have sworn… Ah, well," Junpei shrugged. "Have you shown her the mall yet?"

Mall? Makoto cocked her head in interest. She vaguely remembered seeing one marked on the map. "Pallonya" or something.

"No, I haven't had time," Yukari replied. "Taking her now isn't actually a bad idea… For you, anyway."

"Great!" Junpei pointedly ignored the last part of her statement, focusing on the prospect of a trip to the mall. "You're going to love it, Makoto. It's not real big, but it's a nice place."

"He's not wrong," Yukari agreed. "The fountain is a great place to relax while you have lunch on Sundays. Want to go check it out?"

Makoto nodded, and the three headed off.

* * *

Makoto was quickly learning that you couldn't get _anywhere_ in this city without making heavy use of the monorail. She had spent most of her life in smaller towns where walking or biking were plausible ways to get around, so she was grateful for her pair of guides. To her, the station maps looked more like some kind of uncrackable code than a set of instructions.

"Welcome to Paulownia Mall!" Junpei cheered, throwing open the double doors. "Whenever I hang out with the guys from school, we usually end up here. Karaoke, the arcade, a CD rental place… Even a club! It's got everything ya need."

"You've never been in that club, right?" Yukari asked suspiciously.

"No," Junpei mumbled sulkily.

"Well that's something, at least." Yukari glanced around. "Oh, there it is! Come on, Makoto — that stall over there has the best ice cream. They move it around every day, and they swap out the special flavors too! I wonder what they have today?"

"Oh, you mean the Hee-ho place?" Junpei perked back up. "Hell yeah!"

Makoto examined the stall's sign as they approached. The mascot seemed familiar — a rotund little snowman with a blue hat. It was pretty cute, she conceded. There was probably a toy chain to bilk parents beyond what the ice cream alone could achieve.

The menu was… Interesting. There was a section dedicated to the standard treats, which were available every day — "Vanilla Jack", "Pumpkin Spice", and "Royal Berry". There was also a 'special' section, and she couldn't even begin to imagine what twists were given to the flavors. "Hairy Jack Kiwi"? "Legion's Chocolate Leavings"? "Thor's Banana Hammer"?

"Oh, they have Veritas' Cherry Revelation today! That's my favorite!"

Makoto stared at Yukari.

"What does that one taste like?" Junpei asked. "I've never seen it before."

"It's mostly blueberry," Yukari explained, "but there are lines of cherry running through it. It's great!"

Makoto resolved to forget what she had just heard as she walked up to the clerk and pointed to "Vanilla Jack". That one seemed safe enough.

The three sat down on one of the benches surrounding the fountain in the center of the plaza to quietly enjoy the company and their snacks. Makoto was careful to keep her eyes away from Yukari, instead scanning the shops visible from their position after taking a look at the strange, muddy color of Junpei's ice cream ("Blood of Colchis' Vineyard"). He assured her it was just grape, but…

"I don't think we've ever been here together before, Yuka-tan," Junpei observed as they finished up. "Where do you usually hang out?"

"The arcade, actually," Yukari replied. "I have a couple of high scores to defend."

"Whoa, really? Wouldn't have expected that," the boy laughed. "What games?"

"Um," the brown-haired girl thought for a moment. "Actually… All of them, I think?"

She blushed under the pair of wide-eyed stares that she received. "I spend a little more time there than I should, I guess," she mumbled.

"No, that's really cool! I can't even crack the top hundred at anything," Junpei protested. "I just wouldn't have expected that from _you_ of all people."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yukari demanded.

"Well, I mean, you're just-" He floundered. "Help me out here, Makoto!"

Makoto shrugged innocently and shifted a little closer to Yukari.

"Traitor," Junpei hissed.

"Let's head on over to the arcade and I can show you just how good I am," Yukari said sweetly.

"I believe you, though!" Junpei protested, but to no avail. Yukari's iron grip on his arm gave him no choice but to join them…

And Makoto's careful positioning gave him no choice but to keep playing and see himself beaten down at every two-player game in the arcade.

It was a very smug Yukari that accompanied Makoto back to the dorm that night.

* * *

Makoto's stomach growled.

"Oh, I knew I forgot something," Yukari groaned. "We should have had dinner while we were at the mall."

Makoto looked at her, confused. Wasn't there a kitchen just over on the other side of the floor?

"I'm not much of a cook," Yukari admitted. "And Mitsuru-senpai… I don't know if she even knows how to turn the stove on. We used to have a dorm mother to handle it for us… I miss that." She sighed.

Makoto patted Yukari and got up. The brown-haired girl followed her, watching in amazement as the transfer student began to examine the contents of the cupboard and refrigerator.

The blue-haired girl was pleased with what she found. _Someone_ had been keeping things well-stocked, even if neither of the other girls cooked. Was Akihiko into cooking? Yukari probably would have mentioned that. But if not him, then who? A question for later.

Gathering some ingredients together, she began to prepare a sauce as a pot of water boiled.

"You can cook?" Yukari asked, sounding like she had seen the Holy Grail.

Makoto nodded, swiftly dicing tomatoes with the ease of years of practice. It wasn't often that she had access to a full kitchen, let alone so many fresh ingredients available — she was pleased to finally get the chance to try out a sauce recipe that she had come up with during some downtime a few months ago. She would need to thank whoever the mysterious fridge-stocker was when she discovered their identity.

…Unless it was the Chairman, of course.

Yukari sat down at the table, dazedly gazing at Makoto's back as she worked.

This was the scene Mitsuru walked in on half an hour later — Yukari watching fixedly as Makoto mixed together a delicious-smelling sauce with a steaming pot of noodles. The blue-haired girl noticed her entrance and waved her over, gesturing at the bowls stacked on the table.

"You're a chef, Moriya?" the heiress asked as she helped herself to a bowlful. Yukari had already grabbed some for herself, which she was inhaling at a terrifying pace.

Makoto wiggled her hand, looking down. She could cook, sure, but a _chef_? She just wanted to be sure that nothing she ate was poisoned.

"Dond be so modesd," Yukari declared through a full mouth of noodles. "Yur gread."

"Chew, Takeba," Mitsuru admonished as she lifted a forkful to her mouth. Her eyes widened as she took a bite. "She's right though, Moriya. This is almost as good as-" She broke off, eyes troubled. "It's very good. You should be proud."

 _'Almost as good as wh_ _at_ _?'_ Makoto wondered. There was a story there, for something as simple as halfway decent cooking to evoke that kind of pain. At least Yukari seemed to be just as in the dark as she was this time. Something family-related, perhaps. Was Mitsuru's mother alive?

Makoto almost wept for joy when she went searching for something in which to store the leftovers. They had proper tupperware! It sealed up properly and wasn't full of cracks! How long had it been since she had seen any in such a good condition?

She discovered the downside to a well-stocked fridge when she went to put the container of leftovers on a shelf. There was so much food that it took her almost ten minutes to rearrange everything to fit nicely — extremely suboptimal. She would have to look into a mini-fridge as a supplement if she intended to do this frequently.

Yawning, she waved goodnight to Yukari and Mitsuru and trudged up the stairs to her room. She layered barriers against every form of entry that she could think of around the edges of her bed, then collapsed onto the mattress and fell asleep.

Not two hours later Yukari broke down her door, bow in hand.

 **AN:**

 **Originally I was planning to post this on Wednesday, but I ended up with a lot of free time yesterday and actually managed to complete two chapters to add to my buffer. Since that puts me a little ahead of schedule, I figured that it would be fine if I put this up now — it will incentivize me to start work on next week's chapter buffer sooner, and that's always a good thing!**

 **On another note, is there anyone who would be willing to beta-read chapters? They're usually going to be between 1.5k and 3k words, so nothing too big, and since I have my buffer set up you'd usually get a week or so to go over it, if not longer.**

 **I look forward to hearing from everyone!**

 **Edit: Aaaaand I just learned that FFnet has been messing up my dividers. Going through and fixing that all now!**


	5. In German, Hospital is Krankenhaus

****Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.). Some dialogue is identical to that present in the game itself, or features only minor changes. This is not mine and is used entirely as buildup — it will not be a recurring feature once the opening of the game has passed (that is, the first trip to Tartarus)** **and does not compose a majority of the dialogue (though it may enter into the realm of statistical significance in chapters that focus more on description than speaking)** **.****

 **In German, "Hospital" is "Krankenhaus"**

Makoto tore down her barriers so that they wouldn't impede her own spellwork and leapt to her feet, eyes blazing with fury as an orb of bright force gathered on the tips of her fingers. It glowed eerily in the green light of the Witching Hour. So it was betrayal after all?

That was when she heard the sounds of battle coming from downstairs and noticed that Yukari's bow wasn't pointed at her. In fact, the other girl looked panicked rather than aggressive. Makoto relaxed her stance, but kept the spell ready.

"I don't have time to explain! We've got to get out of here now," Yukari spoke so quickly that Makoto barely understood her, words tripping over each other as they rushed out of her mouth.

Escape? They were under attack and Yukari's first thoughts were to flee? She had been wrong to fear this girl. Still, best cooperate for now — charging headlong at an unknown enemy would be foolish.

"Hurry! Downstairs! We'll leave through the back door!"

Makoto began to follow Yukari, but the other girl abruptly stopped and spun around.

"Take this," she said, handing her a short sword.

Makoto smiled. Now they were talking — she really did need to stop making snap judgments about others during the Witching Hour. Strategic retreat to a defensible location was a fine plan.

As they approached the back door, though, the radio clipped to Yukari's waist went off.

"Takeba, do you read me?" Mitsuru's voice demanded.

"Yes! I hear you!"

"Be careful! There's more than one enemy!" Mitsuru sounded strained. "The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"

Makoto had been right — there was something strange about the students of this dorm, and it was connected to the Witching Hour.

"What?" Yukari hissed, her panic returning in full. There was a loud thump as _something_ crashed against the door. "Let's pull back!"

The crash of a breaking window greeted them on the second floor. Makoto prepared to fight, but Yukari grabbed her hand and kept running all the way to the roof. The brown-haired girl shut and locked the door, then leaned against it and let out a sigh.

"The door's locked. I think we're safe for now…"

 _'What?'_ They were now _outside_ during the Witching Hour. Was there any place _less_ safe? Yukari really was new to all of this.

Makoto closed her eyes and began to focus, drawing as much power as she could. If she was right about the nature of the threat, she'd need it.

Seconds later, a loud gurgling noise rang out across the rooftop as an enormous black blob pulled itself up with its many sword-bearing arms. One waved a simple blue mask engraved with the Roman numeral I.

The thing rapidly came closer, and Yukari shrieked.

"You've gotta be kidding me! It climbed up the wall…?"

 _'They do that, yes,'_ Makoto thought grimly. That was no ordinary monster, either — she could _feel_ its power in a way she never had before. Something about it was calling to her.

Yukari drew in a deep breath, suddenly calming down. "That's the thing that attacked this place… We call them Shadows!"

'Shadows'? As good a name as any. Not much more imaginative than 'monsters', though.

"Oh yeah… I have to fight…" Yukari's grip on her bow tightened, facade of calm broken once again. "I… I can summon mine… No problem…"

Summon? Makoto's eyes left the 'Shadow' to gaze intently at Yukari. Was she going to call on her guardian spirit, then? With any luck, she would have some useful trick that would prevent Makoto from needing to release the spell she was now struggling to control in any direction except for straight up towards the sky. She thought that it _probably_ wouldn't destroy the building if she fired it at the monster, but…

Yukari dropped her bow, pulled out her gun, and pointed it at her head.

 _'What the fuck?'_ Makoto wasn't especially given to profanity, but she wasn't sure how else to express her feelings about this. Wasn't the girl going to summon her guardian spirit? Why would she shoot herself in the head?

Yukari herself seemed to be having a hard time going through with the act, breathing heavily as her fingers trembled. Before she could pull the trigger, though, the 'Shadow' hit her with a ball of fire that launched her across the roof. She would be fine, Makoto estimated — it hadn't been _that_ hot, so the kinetic force was the bigger issue. There hadn't been any snapping, so she was probably just bruised.

Makoto stared down at the gun where it had landed by her foot. She kicked it up in the air, and when it was midway between her and the Shadow she pointed her hand forward and unleashed her spell. An enormous corona of white light exploded forward, completely erasing both gun and Shadow. At the same moment, _something_ swelled up in her stomach and attempted to break free. She was able to force it down, but only just.

 _'_ _Yukari ha_ _s_ _some questions to answer,_ _'_ Makoto thought angrily as she pitched forward. _'Ah… I guess I used more power than I thought there, huh…'_ As her vision blacked out, she saw Yukari's blurry shape moving toward her.

* * *

"It's so nice to see you again," Igor purred.

The Velvet Room again… What the hell was this place?

"That power is called a Persona… It is a manifestation of your psyche," the creature continued.

'Persona'? What bullshit. It was true that Pixie was connected to her, but she could feel the spirit's emotions alongside her own. The tiny spirit wasn't just an extension of Makoto — she was a separate being.

Seeing her disbelief, Igor chuckled. "A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli… You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships. When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. The ability evolves as you develop your Social Links — your emotional ties with others. The stronger your Social Links, the more powerful your Persona ability. Please remember that."

Makoto abruptly stood up, her chair clattering to the ground. She did not have _time_ for this bullshit. Her power came from her bond with Pixie, not her bonds with _humans_. Moreover, the dorm could still be under attack, which meant she might still be needed. It was clear that Igor had an agenda, and while it claimed to want to help her, she had her doubts.

Igor sighed heavily. "Time marches on in your world… I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord. Until then… Farewell."

As the room faded away, Makoto made it a point to hold up both of her middle fingers. Return to that place of her own accord? Only to get some answers, and maybe burn it to the ground. Igor was insane if it thought she had any interest in its 'services'.

* * *

When her eyes opened, she found herself in a hospital room.

 _'What? How long was I unconscious?'_ This was insane. Just how much power had she used on that roof? If she had needed downtime like this after every battle, she'd have died years ago!

"Um, hey," came Yukari's nervous voice from her bedside. Makoto was suddenly intensely aware of the warm hand clasped around her own.

Makoto turned her head and saw the girl sitting on an uncomfortable-looking stool, fidgeting awkwardly.

"H-How do you feel?" Yukari stammered. She began to move as if she was going to pull her hand away, but stopped.

Makoto gestured at the room with her free hand, not bothering to change her expression.

Yukari let out a choked noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "Thank goodness you finally came to… The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you. He said you were just exhausted… But you were out for ten days! I know you like to sleep, but…" The laugh this time sounded even more choked than the first. Her hand tightened on Makoto's.

Just exhausted? That's what Makoto expected — she hadn't been injured prior to passing out, after all. If they had let her be hurt after that, she'd have been quite annoyed. More pressingly, how in the world had she managed to sleep for a full ten days? Something was very, very wrong here. _Anything_ could have killed her while she was out.

"Um…" Yukari mumbled, looking away. "I'm… sorry I couldn't do anything…" She looked back up at Makoto and continued earnestly, "But, your power… It was amazing. You just wiped out that huge Shadow like it was nothing!" She looked away again. "…You saved me."

Makoto shrugged. As far as she was concerned, it was a wash — she'd have died if she were alone, because there's no way a monster like that would have been traveling alone. She'd have been easy pickings for its minions if she were unconscious on the ground without Yukari to protect her.

…that said, she probably wouldn't have used a spell that excessive if she hadn't been more focused on Yukari's suicidal tendencies than on the spell, so perhaps she would have been fine.

"That power you used… We call it 'Persona'," Yukari told her. "We'll explain everything later. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before…"

'Persona' again. Were they connected to Igor, or were they simply drawing on the same knowledge tradition?

"I, uh… I wanted to tell you that… I'm sorta like you," Yukari stammered.

Makoto cocked her head. What in the world did that mean?

"My dad died in an accident when I was little… And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms…" Yukari stopped to blink away the tears that had begun to form. Makoto squeezed her hand gently, mindful of appearances. That _was_ what you did with crying friends, right? "…You're all alone too, right? To be honest, I already know about your past… But, it didn't seem fair, so I wanted you to know about mine…"

Makoto didn't think they were really all that alike — Yukari was clearly extremely troubled by her loneliness, while Makoto didn't mind it — but she saw no reason to shut the girl down when she was clearly ready to open up to someone about something important to her.

Now that she had a better picture of the odds of Yukari trying to kill her in the near future — almost zero — she could tentatively say that she kind-of-liked the brown-haired girl (as much as she ever liked anyone, at least). Helping share her burdens was a part of being friends, right? It would be suspicious to push her away, and if there was a longer-term plan in the works that would turn Yukari into a liability or an enemy, she would be in a better position to react if she knew more about the girl. No matter what the situation was, gaining the girl's trust would be useful. She nodded for Yukari to continue.

"It was back in '99… There was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but nobody really knows what happened… He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group. So, I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out something. That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High, and why I was there when this happened to you." She scoffed and looked away. "…Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help… It was my first time fighting them, too. I'm sorry… You wouldn't have to go through all this if I wasn't such a coward…"

Makoto had gathered that it was Yukari's first real battle, but 'too'? Did she truly believe that Makoto had no experience at fighting those creatures? …Just how much did these people really know about the Witching Hour? And what exactly did Yukari mean with that statement about cowardice? Had that gun not actually been a gun?

…It's true that it would be strange for the girl to have both a gun and a bow.

Makoto reached out and caught Yukari's cheek with her free hand, turning her head so that they were face to face again. She smiled at her gently, masking her irritation. All of this moping was a waste of time and was causing the brown-haired girl to dawdle in the room, so snapping her out of it would be the fastest way to get her to leave so that Makoto could ponder the implications of this entire situation.

"Thanks, Makoto," Yukari sighed. "…Look at me, telling you all this the minute you wake up. While I was waiting, I thought to myself, 'I've been hiding so many things from her… As soon as she wakes up, I'll tell her the truth.'" She finally smiled, pulling Makoto into a tight hug. "Thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time."

Makoto squeezed her back, and they remained that way for a few minutes before Yukari reluctantly pulled back.

"I have to get going. I'll let the others know you woke up." She walked over to the door. "Bye!"

Makoto waved, smiling. The moment Yukari left, she glared down at the bed. Stupid hospitals.


	6. SEES

****Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.). Some dialogue is identical to that present in the game itself, or features only minor changes. This is not mine and is used entirely as buildup — it will not be a recurring feature once the opening of the game has passed (that is, the first trip to Tartarus).** **Compared to previous chapters, this chapter has a relatively large amount of such dialogue due to the meeting that occurs. This is, however, the second-to-last chapter in which there is enough of said copied dialogue to warrant a specific disclaimer.****

 **S.E.E.S.**

When she finally returned to school, Junpei was thrilled.

"Yo, long time no see! What's up? Did you have an upset stomach or something?" He slapped her on the back. "Glad to see you're doing better!"

Yukari rolled her eyes and focused on the textbook, clearly trying to finish up the reading before class started.

Junpei leaned in and whispered, "Did you know that she went to the hospital and stayed there every day after class? I don't know the details about what happened to you, but she was really torn up about it. She slipped up when I asked if she could hang out and let me know you were unconscious — I really am glad you're feeling better."

Makoto looked at Yukari appraisingly. That _was_ interesting. Was she truly that dedicated to being there when Makoto woke up? Or… Makoto frowned. Could Yukari have had something to do with her ten-day nap? She still had no idea what kind of magic the other girl used. Had something been done to her while she was out of it?

"Anyways," Junpei continued more loudly, "I got something to tell ya."

Makoto raised an eyebrow at him.

"Actually," Junpei reconsidered, "I don't think I'm supposed to say anything, sorry!"

Makoto rolled her eyes and lightly smacked the back of his head.

" _Someone's_ full of energy today…" Yukari grumbled.

They fell silent as Mr. Ono walked into the room. He was the history teacher, and a very strange man. His obsession with the Sengoku era was evident at a glance — from the neck down he was dressed as a normal teacher, but he wore a Sengoku-era samurai helmet on his head and had a tendency to intersperse his lectures on anything unrelated to that time with comments about how samurai were much cooler.

Case in point, he spent the class discussion of prehistoric animals finding mammoths wanting for their lack of skill at swordplay. It made for some interesting dreams.

* * *

After class, Yukari dragged Makoto back to the dorm. Apparently the Chairman wanted to have _another_ meeting, something that left Junpei stupefied.

The fourth floor of the dorm was set up as a meeting room. Couches and chairs were placed around a large table, and an enormous screen dominated the wall. A large case was on the table. Mitsuru, the white-haired boy she had seen before, and the Chairman were already seated when Yukari and Makoto entered the room.

"Ah, there you are," Ikutsuki greeted. "I'm glad that you're okay."

Makoto nodded to him as she took a seat. The man's words sounded sincere, but there was an undercurrent of _something_ that she didn't like.

"The reason I asked you here is because I needed to talk to you," the irritating man continued, ignoring her as she rolled her eyes. Of course he wanted to talk to her — why else would he have called her here? "Oh, I believe I mentioned him earlier, but this is Akihiko." He gestured at the white-haired boy.

So he _was_ Akihiko. Good to know.

"How ya doin'?" Akihiko greeted, sending her a small smile. His arm was in a sling — an injury from the other night?

She returned his greeting with a wave.

"Okay, let me start off by asking you this… Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than 24 hours?" The Chairman was clearly expecting some kind of surprise, from his tone of voice.

Did these people _really_ think she was unaware of the Witching Hour? Really? At least two of them had seen her active during that time, probably more after that battle. She would have to be blind _and_ stupid not to realize that it was a supernatural extra hour. The stopped clocks, the green light, the blood, the coffins, the _monsters_ …

Makoto rolled her eyes again, making sure to emphasize the action. This was apparently taken for disagreement, because Mitsuru laughed.

"I'm not surprised by your reaction," the heiress said. "However, you've already experienced this truth firsthand."

Makoto had never been more tempted to throttle someone in her life.

Oblivious to her thoughts, Mitsuru continued. "Do you remember the night you came here? You had to have noticed the signs… The streetlights went out… Nothing was working… There were coffins everywhere… Didn't it feel like you were in a different time…?"

Yes. Yes, she had noticed all of that, just as she had every single night for the last ten years. Why did these people insist on acting like she was an idiot?

"That's the Dark Hour — a time period hidden between one day and the next."

The 'Dark Hour'? 'Shadows'? These people were teenagers, all right — they loved their dark, dramatic names. Makoto was fine with calling the monsters Shadows, but she'd be damned if she started calling the Witching Hour the Dark Hour.

The blue-haired girl waved her hand irritably, gesturing for them to just get on with it already.

"I guess it's more like something people aren't aware of," Ikutsuki broke in. "But, the Dark Hour does exist. It occurs each night at midnight. It'll happen tonight, and every night to come."

"Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping inside their coffins," Akihiko declared grimly. "But, that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting. You saw those creatures." A fierce grin spread across his face. "We call them 'Shadows'. They only appear during the Dark Hour, and attack anyone not in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them. Sounds exciting, huh?"

'Job'? These high school students hunted monsters professionally? Leaving aside the worrying implications of the fact that they didn't seem to realize that 'Shadows' could, in fact, manifest outside of the Witching Hour (albeit rarely)… That might be something that Makoto was interested in. Just a little.

"Akihiko! Why are you always like that?" Mitsuru admonished. "You just got hurt the other week!" She lightly tapped his broken arm, causing the boy to wince. "This isn't a _game_."

"Now, now. He does his work well," the Chairman soothed. He turned to Makoto before continuing. "Long story short… We're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad — S.E.E.S. for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader. I'm the club advisor."

…And now Makoto wasn't sure that she actually wanted to join up. That was an incredibly stupid name, and the acronym was no better. Moreover, the idea that a group of high schoolers could 'defeat the Shadows' was absurd. Did the man truly believe that a _school club_ could bring an end to a worldwide phenomenon involving supernatural monsters?

…No, wait. How did a club with that name ever get approved? Approving school clubs shouldn't be the purview of the Chairman of the Board, and any official club would be on lists that anyone could access. Just what was going on at this school?

She returned her attention to the conversation just in time to catch the end of Mitsuru's explanation about the nature of the Shadows as psychic vampires — she hadn't missed anything noteworthy, then.

"Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour," the Chairman said. "Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. That's 'Persona' — the power you used the other night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users, which means it's all up to you guys."

Nonsense on every level. Makoto still refused to think of the power as 'Persona', and it was entirely possible to kill Shadows with conventional weaponry. Get a couple of normal people with guns out there and they could take out quite a few before inevitably dying to something beyond them. Get _enough_ and they could probably even substitute for a powerful magic-user.

Mitsuru leaned forward and opened the case on the table. Inside was the same kind of gun as the one that Makoto had destroyed the other night.

"What he's trying to say is, we want you to join us," the redhead said softly. "We've prepared an Evoker for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."

'Evoker'? Then it really wasn't a gun. Some kind of summoning tool, from the name. Did they need an external stimulus to draw on their guardian spirits? Perhaps a complication due to their belief that it was this 'Persona' ability.

She reached out and picked up the Evoker, looking it over, before holding it out to Yukari.

The girl stared at it in confusion for a moment, but then her eyes brightened in realization. "Oh! Because you destroyed mine the other night?"

Makoto nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you don't really need it, huh?" Yukari laughed. "We hadn't replaced mine yet, so… Thanks." She took the Evoker and slipped it into a holster underneath her skirt.

It would probably be best to agree to join this 'S.E.E.S', at least for now. If nothing else, it would give her some backup during the Witching Hour. It would be nice to have someone watching her back for once.

Makoto looked Mitsuru in the eyes and gave her a firm nod.

Yukari let out a huge sigh of relief. "I was afraid you'd say no… Welcome aboard!" Her expression fell a moment later. "You're not just agreeing out of some kind of pressure though, right? You really want this?"

Makoto nodded again, smiling at her. It was nice that the girl seemed to care, but Makoto wasn't going to turn down a chance like this unless there turned out to be some kind of huge hidden catch — which she would be on the lookout for, of course.

"Thank you so much. I'm really glad," Ikutsuki said, smiling widely. "Oh, I almost forgot… About your room assignment… Why don't you just stay here, in your current room? I don't know what the holdup is, but I guess it worked out in the end." The man let out a ridiculous giggle.

Makoto was calling bullshit on this dorm mixup thing they kept throwing around. It was obvious that they had placed her in this dorm because they somehow knew about her power and were hoping to get her to join their little club.

"Holdup? But, wasn't that—?" Yukari seemed confused too, if her response was anything to go by. "Oh, never mind…" The girl sighed.

Time froze and Makoto heard the sound of breaking glass.

 _Thou art I… And I am thou…_

 _Thou hast established a new bond…_

 _Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Ar-_

Makoto exerted her magic and _shattered_ the spell hanging around her just as it neared completion. She was left panting from the effort and looked up to find everyone staring at her in concern. She waved them off, straightening up in her seat.

What _was_ that? She had felt it trying to take root in her mind. Something about it reminded her of Igor's power. That damned creature had some _serious_ questions to answer, and its answers had better be good if it wanted to keep living.

She refocused when she felt Yukari tugging on her arm.

"Let's get you to bed," the brown-haired girl said. "You're spacing out a lot — this was probably too much right out of you got out of the hospital." She directed a glare at the others. Curiously, it seemed most focused on Mitsuru. "I _said_ we should have waited a day or two," she muttered.

Makoto smiled at Yukari as she let herself be led out of the room. While the meeting had raised quite a few questions about the other three, it had also confirmed her thoughts from the hospital: Yukari's kindness was genuine and she could be trusted a little more than the others. The girl just didn't have what it took to sustain a deception, so if she became aware of a plot against Makoto it would be easy to tell. Until that happened, she could tentatively consider her a friend.

A change of clothing and goodnight hug later, Makoto found herself being tucked into bed by a fussy Yukari. She genuinely seemed to believe that Makoto was still suffering the aftereffects of the battle and blamed herself for the fact that the blue-haired girl had been 'hurt'. It was sweet, but Makoto needed to resist the urge to prove that she was fine. She wasn't weak!

…But then, maybe it was okay to let someone take care of you from time to time. A soft smile lit upon her face as she fell asleep.


	7. Tartarus

****Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.). Some dialogue is identical to that present in the game itself, or features only minor changes. This is not mine and is used entirely as buildup — it will not be a recurring feature once the opening of the game has passed (that is, the first trip to Tartarus).** **This is the final chapter in which such dialogue will have a noticeable presence.****

 **Tartarus**

Makoto woke up on her own for the first time since she had moved into the dorm. She stared at the ceiling, unable to muster the energy to move. The sound of birds chirping filled her ears.

A glance at the clock told her that she was up early enough that she could lie in for a while and still have time to be ready for school, but she forced herself up with a groan. Just because she _could_ wait didn't mean she _should_. Self-discipline was key.

Makoto grabbed her things and took a shower, enjoying the feeling of the warm water as it woke her up. She ran into Mitsuru as she left the stall.

"You're up early," the senior greeted. A troubled expression passed over her face. "I wanted to ask you… When Takeba asked if you truly want to join us… You did mean it, correct?"

Makoto nodded.

"Thank goodness," Mitsuru sighed. "I'll be honest — we need your help. Akihiko and I can only do so much, and Yukari has no real experience. If things had gone on much longer…" She broke off and shook her head. "Even so, I don't want to force you into anything you don't want to do. If you change your mind, please, tell me. I won't judge you if you want to live a peaceful life." There was a wistful note to her voice.

Makoto patted Mitsuru's hand gently, offering her a soft smile. This was a side of Mitsuru that she hadn't seen much of yet — aside from when she had teased Yukari, the redhead hadn't really displayed this kind of unguarded emotion.

It probably had something to do with growing up as the heiress to a major corporation, Makoto mused. It would be important for someone in such a position to be composed at all times and to be able to suborn their feelings to the needs of the business. She felt a stab of pity for the older girl — Makoto's guardedness in social situations was by choice. Mitsuru's was an essential survival tool, much like Makoto's uncontrollable paranoia during the Witching Hour.

Still, however much she may pity her, the fact was that she couldn't trust her for that same reason. Composure like Mitsuru's could easily cover up a plot of betrayal.

"Thank you, Moriya." Mitsuru gave her a strained smile. She shook her head. "If you'll excuse me, I really should be getting ready. I have quite a lot of preparation to do this morning."

Makoto nodded and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. A bleary-eyed Yukari stumbled past her, evidently also on her way to the shower.

Hmm. If everyone was going to be awake… Makoto checked the cupboard. Yes, perfect.

Akihiko was the first to come down the stairs, and he was greeted with a stack of fresh pancakes.

"Oh, thanks," he said, smiling at her as he sat down at the table. "Mitsuru told me that you were the one who made that pasta the other week. Are you planning to do this kind of thing regularly?"

Makoto nodded. If they were going to be fighting together, it was important that they share a rapport. Shared meals worked wonders for building a feeling of companionship.

"That's great! It'll be nice to have someone making sure we get good food again," he sighed. "It's been too long."

It wasn't much longer before Mitsuru and Yukari arrived. Makoto quietly enjoyed her pancakes, basking in the companionable chatter of the other three and occasionally giving a nod or a shrug in response to a question directed her way. This was… Nice.

* * *

Yukari caught Makoto's arm just before they walked through the school gates.

"Um," she began, "About yesterday… Thanks again." She looked away. "Akihiko-senpai's injury is going to take some time to heal, and I was really uneasy about working alone with Mitsuru-senpai…"

This tension between Yukari and Mitsuru was dangerous — it was better to fight alone than alongside an ally that you didn't trust. (Makoto easily ignored the hypocrisy of that thought.) The strange thing was that it seemed to be one-sided. Mitsuru had never shown any kind of uneasiness around Yukari, so what exactly happened to make Yukari distrust her? Whatever it was needed to be resolved, and soon.

Shrugging it off for now, Makoto gave Yukari a smile.

* * *

A yawning Yukari shook the blue-haired girl awake at the end of the day. "I thought I was gonna fall asleep in there," the brown-haired girl groaned. "Is this how you feel every day?"

"Can I have a minute?" Mitsuru's voice broke in.

Makoto and Yukari spun around in their seats, hearts racing. How had the senior gotten so close without either of them noticing?

Mitsuru laughed lightly at their reaction. "There's no need to worry, it's nothing urgent. Please come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm — I have something to tell everyone."

"Okay," Yukari stammered. "We'll do that."

"I'll see you there, then." Mitsuru shot them a small smile before walking out of the room just as swiftly and quietly as she had entered.

Makoto and Yukari traded an irritated look. That had been… Uninformative.

"Always in a hurry… She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us," Yukari grumbled.

"Whoa, Yuka-tan! Do I sense some hostility?" Junpei asked, leaning over.

"Eavesdropping again?" Yukari sighed. "It's not that I don't like her… She's just… Hard to deal with sometimes. She's so _perfect —_ rich, top of the class, president of the student council… It's like we _normal_ people don't measure up at all."

Makoto patted Yukari's hand soothingly. She didn't think the girl was being entirely fair — Mitsuru was impressive, certainly, but she had obviously worked hard for everything except the wealth, and she worked even harder to _maintain_ it all. Calling her 'perfect' glossed over the blood, sweat, and tears that had no doubt been what allowed her to make it this far.

"Ugh, whatever," Yukari stood up. "Come on, Makoto. We should go see what the boss wants."

"Aw man, do you need to go right now?" Junpei complained.

"Keeping Mitsuru-senpai waiting would be a bad idea," Yukari replied, rolling her eyes. "She hates it when her time is 'wasted'."

"You don't even know that she'll be ready for you yet, though," Junpei pointed out. "She _did_ say it wasn't urgent."

Makoto was inclined to agree with Junpei that there was no rush, though Yukari was probably right that Mitsuru would be waiting for them. She was pretty sure that the older girl would just use the time to get some work done, though, rather than sulking that nobody else was there for the meeting.

That said, she wouldn't object to getting it over with quickly so that she could find other things to do, so she gave Junpei a wave, got up and walked out of the classroom, Yukari hurrying after her.

* * *

As Yukari had predicted, both Mitsuru and Akihiko were already waiting for them.

"Welcome back," the red-haired girl greeted.

"We were waiting for you. There's someone I wanna introduce." Akihiko had a secretive smile on his face.

"Huh?" Yukari asked.

"…Hey, hurry up," Akihiko yelled.

"Hold your horses… This is freakin' heavy!" A familiar voice yelled back from outside the door.

 _'_ _…_ _What is_ _ **Junpei**_ _doing here?'_ Makoto wondered in confusion.

The door swung open and the boy stumbled in, followed by an enormous suitcase. "Wazzup?" He greeted.

"J-Junpei? Why are _you_ here?" Yukari spluttered, eyes wide.

"This is Junpei Iori from Class 2-F. He'll be staying here as of today." Akihiko sounded unbelievably smug.

"He's staying here? You've gotta be kidding me!" The brown-haired girl yelped, glaring at Akihiko. "You can't mean that _he_ has the potential!"

"I bumped into him the other night." The smugness was even more pronounced now. "He just awakened to his potential recently… I told him about us, and he agreed to help."

"Seriously?" Yukari's glare had turned into an incredulous stare directed at Junpei.

"He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins," Junpei grumbled.

Ah, Akihiko had rescued Junpei. That was more in line with what Makoto might have expected, and it also explained the smugness. Still, if Junpei was aware of the Witching Hour… Not just a normal person, then. She would need to reconsider the threat that he could pose.

The rescuee in question chuckled and gave a self-deprecating grin. "I don't remember much, but… Man, that's embarrassing! But, uh, he said that's, ya know, completely normal… In the beginning. Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guys know that?"

Now it was Makoto's turn to give him a confused stare. She certainly didn't remember a period of disorientation when she had first begun experiencing the Witching Hour, and the fact that she was _alive_ was proof that she wasn't simply forgetting. With the way things had been back then, even a single lax moment would have…

"What's with that look?" Junpei asked. "Didn't it happen to you?"

She shook her head.

"Big deal," he rolled his eyes. "It happens to everyone else."

She looked over at Yukari, who nodded. "It happened to me, at least," the brown-haired girl said.

"To me as well." Mitsuru appeared to be remembering something painful.

"And obviously to me." Akihiko was looking at her intently. "Are you _sure_ you didn't experience it?"

Makoto nodded.

"Strange," he murmured. "I suppose there's still a lot for us to learn about the Dark Hour."

"Anyways," Junpei broke in, "I was shocked to find out about you guys. I had no idea! I'm glad I'm not the only one. It could get kinda lonely, ya know."

Makoto rolled her eyes. If it were just him, he'd be _dead_ , not lonely. Someone so careless could never hope to survive for long alone, especially if they were disoriented.

Junpei continued, happily oblivious to her uncharitable thoughts. "I bet you're stoked too, right? Havin' me join…"

"Huh?" Yukari asked, staring at him disbelievingly. "Uh, y-yeah… Let's go with that."

Makoto snickered at Junpei's insulted expression.

"Well, enough with the introductions." Akihiko headed off any brewing conflict with a dramatic declaration. "I think we're about ready…"

The door opened and the Chairman walked in, looking uncharacteristically serious. "Okay, everybody's here. I'd like your undivided attention," he said. "For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But now, that number has jumped to five. Therefore, starting tonight at 12:00 AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

Tartarus? As much as Makoto would like to delve into the bowels of the underworld to battle against unspeakable monsters, she doubted that it would be anything nearly so incredible. Tartarus was probably just what they had named the local monster hotspot.

"Tartarus…? What's that? Sounds like toothpaste," Junpei asked bemusedly.

Makoto gave him a light slap on the head.

"You haven't seen it?" Yukari asked.

"It's no surprise, since it only appears during the Dark Hour," the Chairman said.

"The Dark Hour…?"

Had Junpei been paying attention to _anything_? What did he think had disoriented him? As ridiculous as the name was, it wasn't exactly difficult to figure out what it referenced.

"Just like the Shadows… Interesting, huh? And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest."

…And now Akihiko appeared to be misreading Junpei's confusion. Great. This was off to a wonderful start. A team with no communication skills, hooray! At least she had confirmation that it was just a monster hotspot, though.

"Whoa… Their nest, huh…?" Junpei seemed rather more impressed.

"But, Senpai… What about your injury?" Yukari asked, looking at Akihiko's arm.

"Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered yet, he'll only come as far as the entrance." Mitsuru's tone made it clear that the decision was both final and the result of much argument, a fact that was confirmed by Akihiko's sullen nod.

"Relax, I've got your backs," Junpei declared.

Yukari moved closer to Makoto, seeming unsure of whether she should be standing protectively in front of the smaller girl or attempting to use her as a shield. "I'm not so sure about this…" She mumbled.

"What about you, Mr. Chairman?" Mitsuru asked.

"I'll stay here," Ikutsuki responded. "As you know, I can't summon a Persona…"

Makoto did not like this man. She did not like him _at all_. Still, she was new here and thus had little sway, especially compared to the man in charge. She would simply keep an eye out for betrayal, she resolved as she followed Mitsuru out of the building.

She could only hope that she would recognize it before it was too late.

* * *

Makoto stared up at the school in confusion. Were they meant to believe that Gekkoukan High was this 'Tartarus'? If true, that was deeply concerning and made the Kirijo Group — and thus Mitsuru — all the more suspicious.

"This is it? _This_ is the place?" Junpei seemed to share her surprise. "Why _here_?"

"Be patient," Akihiko admonished him. "The Dark Hour is almost here."

Just as the silver-haired boy finished speaking, Makoto felt the surge that indicated the start of the Witching Hour and reared back in shock. The eerie green light of the cursed time fell over them, making up for the immediate failure of electricity. All of that was routine, nothing to be concerned about. What _was_ new was what happened to the school.

It had twisted and _changed_ , becoming an enormous tower that stretched infinitely towards the sky. Its peak was directly beneath the luminous moon.

The tower looked like nothing built by human hands. It was unbalanced, with segments sticking out and somehow holding themselves in the air without support. There was something almost organic about it, and even as Makoto watched blood leaked from the windows of an upper floor. It gave off an aura of _wrongness_ beyond anything that the blue-haired girl had ever felt before… And yet something about it felt like she had come home.

"This is Tartarus," Mitsuru declared grimly.

"What happened to our school?" Junpei demanded. "I mean, I know I've called it Hell before, but I didn't mean it literally!"

"This happens every night at the stroke of midnight," Mitsuru replied, closing her eyes. "It will return to normal when the Dark Hour has passed."

"But why'd our _school_ turn into a giant tower?" The boy was nearly begging for an explanation now.

"I don't know." Mitsuru glanced at the ground. Another secret, then.

"I'm sure it's complicated," Yukari chipped in, directing a suspicious look at the redhead.

So that was why she didn't trust Mitsuru, then — Yukari was as suspicious of the Kirijo Group as Makoto. The girl had good instincts.

"Now that we have enough people to take a real look inside, we may be able to find out." Akihiko was grinning. "Mitsuru and I have only seen a little ways inside — we didn't want to take the risk of going too deep without more fighters." The boy almost seemed to have forgotten his injury, with the level of enthusiasm he projected.

Mitsuru brought him back to earth with a light hit to the arm. He doubled over, a groan escaping his lips.

"As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, Akihiko," the heiress said, smiling sweetly, "You are still injured. You will _not_ be accompanying them."

"I know…" The silver-haired boy whimpered. "Could you please stop doing that? It'll take longer to heal."

Mitsuru rolled her eyes and decisively strode forward, throwing open the doors to the tower. The rest of them hurried after her.

"I know this place is a Shadow nest and all, but it looks really cool," Junpei said, gazing around with wide eyes.

"I think it's a little creepy," Yukari muttered to Makoto, gripping her bow tightly.

Mitsuru gave them a tight smile and gestured toward the other end of the room. There was a staircase topped by a strange, clock-like mechanism. "The true danger is past that door. A labyrinth that changes every time you enter it."

"We're not asking you to do too much tonight," Akihiko continued for her. "Just take a look around and get a feel for the place."

"Mitsuru-senpai isn't coming with us?" Yukari asked.

That seemed… Irresponsible. Makoto knew how to fight, but Yukari and Junpei were completely green. Moreover, everyone seemed to be operating under the assumption that Makoto herself was new to the Witching Hour. With that in mind… Were they _trying_ to get them killed? Makoto directed a glare at the seniors.

"You'll be fine as long as you don't go too far," the heiress replied. "My Persona allows me to do a small amount of reconnaissance, so I'll be feeding you information."

"And we'll be asking one of you to serve as a leader, to make sure decisions can be made quickly," Akihiko interjected.

"Really?" Junpei perked up. "One of us? Me! Me me me! Pick me!"

Akihiko raised an eyebrow at him, then looked at Makoto. "You're in charge."

"What?" Junpei yelped. "Why her?"

Makoto emphatically shook her head from side to side, then pointed at Yukari.

"Wh- Me?" Yukari squeaked, staring at Makoto.

"Makoto, I understand if you're nervous, but you're the best choice. Against Shadows, the ability to summon a Persona without hesitation is the only thing standing between you and death," Akihiko declared forcefully. "You can do that. Can they?"

Yukari and Junpei shifted nervously. Makoto rolled her eyes, then tapped her throat.

"I see… That does present a problem," Mitsuru noted. "A leader needs to be able to communicate clearly."

"Damn," Akihiko muttered. "Fine. Yukari, you're in charge. Be careful."

"Y-Yes!" The girl replied, snapping to attention. "Um… Are you sure this will be okay?"

Makoto caught her eye and nodded. As jumpy as the girl was, she had potential. Competence-wise Mitsuru would be the ideal leader, but… A leader needed to be someone who was at least a little trustworthy, and Mitsuru's secret-keeping disqualified her. Further, the older girl wasn't even going to be accompanying them. Junpei was probably the most trustworthy of the lot due to the fact that he had _just_ found out about the Witching Hour, but he was too impulsive. Akihiko was injured and too close to Mitsuru.

No, Yukari was the only choice. Makoto would just have to hope that the girl would be able to quickly grow into an effective leader, for all of their sakes.

"O-Okay…" Yukari still sounded uncertain, but her eyes were determined. "I promise I won't let you down!"

Makoto smiled at her.

"Seriously?" Junpei whined. "Come on, I'd be a great leader!"

"My decision is final," Akihiko declared. "Are you all ready to go?"

Makoto was about to nod, but a blue glow in the corner of the room caught her eye. Her mouth thinned into a straight line when she recognized the door to the Velvet Room.

"Are you okay?" Yukari asked. "Is there something there?"

They couldn't see it, then. Makoto couldn't say she was surprised. She gave a short nod and walked over to the door, pulling the key she had been given from her pocket. Igor was right — here she was, about to enter the Velvet Room of her own will. Whether or not the room existed when she left… That remained to be seen.

If Igor was an enemy, one of them would have to die.

When she stepped through the door, she found the room exactly as she remembered it.

"I've been waiting for you." Igor gave her a strange look. "Never before have I met someone capable of shattering a Social Link without entirely alienating its source… Nor have I met anyone with the desire to do so."

Makoto glared at the creature.

It sighed. "So suspicious… Very well, perhaps I should explain. But first…?" It gestured at the chair.

Makoto slowly sat down, eyes remaining focused on Igor.

"You possess a unique power," it began. "You can think of it as zero. A humble number, yes? It is empty, nothing. And yet it holds infinite possibilities! Without zero, the field of mathematics as you know it could not exist. " It gave her that terrible smile again. "Your own emptiness allows you to possess multiple Personas and swap them around as needed. Whatever personality, whatever power, you require, you can have it! Social Links are a power tied to you and your friends — they are not something to be feared. They are simply a mystical representation of your bonds, and will assist you in strengthening your Personas."

Makoto rolled her eyes. This Persona nonsense again. She focused, and Pixie appeared in the air between them. The spirit smiled at Igor, but the expression held no kindness. The hideous creature froze, examining Pixie closely.

"Impossible…" It murmured. "How did this…?" It shook its head and focused on Makoto. "I believe that I will need to do some research." It seemed torn between worry and excitement. "If you will excuse me, I will begin immediately — please do return soon. If you have need of me outside of the Dark Hour, I would advise you to check the mall."

Makoto frowned, but acquiesced and left the room. She was far from satisfied, but it would be best to allow the creature to find the information it needed to provide answers for her curiosity. It would be foolish to pass up a potential chance to learn more about her power — after all, Igor appeared to have come around to the idea that it wasn't 'Persona'.

She found herself being shaken by Yukari, and raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"Makoto! What happened? You just… spaced out there," Yukari sounded worried.

"Yeah, you looked like a zombie." Junpei's voice held just as much concern as Yukari's.

Makoto waved it off.

"Oh come on, girl!" Junpei yelped. "I know you're practically narcoleptic, but please don't tell me you fell asleep!"

Makoto shook her head.

Yukari sighed. "Are you going to be okay to fight? We can hold off until tomorrow if you don't think you can make it."

Makoto nodded, clenching her fist in front of her face.

"All right." Yukari still sounded doubtful, but seemed willing to believe her. "If that changes, make sure to let me know immediately, okay?"

Makoto nodded again. She couldn't even bring herself to be annoyed — it was nice to see that Yukari was taking her duty as leader so seriously, and gave her confidence that she had made the right call. It would have been more concerning if the girl _hadn't_ pressed her on her health. That would have shown a dangerous disregard for the status of her subordinates, something that could easily lead to their deaths.

The three walked up the stairs to the enormous clock, and Yukari pushed the door open. The second they stepped through, they were swept away in a wave of darkness.

* * *

 **AN: I'm really, really sorry for the long break in posting. Bonds isn't abandoned at all, I promise, and I'll definitely be trying to avoid such a long break in posting again. I was hospitalized for quite a while, so I didn't have access to my PS2 to keep playing or my computer to keep writing/posting, so I'm definitely very behind where I intended to be and may have trouble keeping up a consistent weekly schedule for a while yet, but please bear with me!**

 **I started writing a Worm fanfic by hand when I was feeling up to it since I didn't have much else to do in the hospital, and my plan for the moment is to try to alternate posting chapters of Bonds and that every week (though the first chapter of that will be up tonight) to try to spread out the buffer that I have and (hopefully) reduce future delays while I recover.**


	8. Den of Shadows

****Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.).****

 ** **Den of Shadows****

When their vision returned, the trio found themselves in a strange corridor lit by the green light of the Witching Hour. Rivulets of blood ran down the walls, pooling into cracks in the checkered floor.

"It really is a maze…" Yukari whispered, looking around at the branching hallways.

"Do you read me?" Mitsuru's voice rang out.

"Wh- Senpai?" Junpei craned his head, looking for the source of the sound.

"I'll be keeping in contact with you through my Persona. It allows me to have limited awareness of your location," the senior replied. "I would like to join you, but outside support is imperative due to Tartarus' shifting. I should be able to keep you from getting lost."

"Well, that's good," Yukari muttered.

"Be careful — I can sense a number of Shadows near your position," Mitsuru warned. "They should be fairly weak, but don't let your guard down."

"Okay," Yukari had steel in her voice. "Get ready, you two." She drew an arrow and held her bow at the ready.

They moved cautiously down the nearest passage, Yukari at the front and Makoto guarding the rear.

"Stop!" The leader hissed. She gestured at a dark patch near the wall. "Let me see if I can get it before it spots us."

Makoto nodded, restraining Junpei, who had been about to charge in.

Yukari carefully lined up a shot, then let the arrow fly. It was a good hit, and the Shadow collapsed into itself. Makoto smiled as she felt its essence fade — it wasn't just playing dead, then.

"Why didn't you let me take it?" Junpei complained. "I could have killed it no problem!"

Makoto rolled her eyes, patting him on the shoulder.

"Because, Stupei," Yukari hissed, "It's much better for us to avoid fighting when we can. The noise could draw more Shadows to our position!"

"Big deal! So we kill 'em all," the boy muttered, but followed without further complaint as they moved deeper into the area.

As they passed a corridor, Makoto was barely able to turn in time to block a strike from a Shadow. She got a good look at it this time — a black blob in a blue mask, with a pair of clawed hands. It was stronger than it looked, and her arm shook a little as she forced its outstretched claw away.

She prepared to strike, but found herself knocked over as Junpei rushed past her and hit the thing with his sword. The blow was somewhat off-center, and the Shadow retaliated by slicing a gash into the boy's leg. He screamed and collapsed against the wall, sword forgotten on the ground as he clutched the wound.

Yukari let loose an arrow that finished it, but cried out as she narrowly avoided a strike from a second Shadow that had managed to sneak up behind her.

Makoto, still sprawled on the floor, had a clear enough shot that she was able to release a blast of bright energy that completely dissolved the monster.

"Thanks," Yukari panted, reaching out a hand to help Makoto up. "I'm not much use if they get that close to me, huh…"

Makoto brushed off her pants, glaring at Junpei. This was exactly why she had chosen Yukari as leader instead of Junpei — rushing in carelessly would just get them killed.

Yukari's expression showed agreement. "Let me see your leg, idiot," she growled, kneeling by Junpei. She roughly moved his hands and began prodding at it.

The boy yelped. "Hey- Ow ow ow! Stop that!"

"It's not that deep, you baby," Yukari rolled her eyes. "You got lucky. I can heal something like this — any deeper, though, and we'd need to get out of here as quickly as possible." She shot herself with her Evoker — a sight that made Makoto flinch — and a woman strapped to an enormous cow skull appeared in the air behind her as a green glow sealed Junpei's wound.

…That was certainly an interesting 'Persona'. Makoto wasn't sure what to make of it — if it really was some kind of reflection of Yukari's personality, what did that say about her? The thing faded along with the glow, leaving Junpei unhurt, but Makoto was still pondering it. It had a different kind of presence than Pixie… Somewhat less solid, like it wasn't really part of the world. Perhaps it really was 'Persona' and she had a different kind of power than the others?

"Thanks," Junpei muttered, pushing himself back to his feet, then leaning down to grab his sword. "Wasn't expecting it to survive that…"

"This is why we need to be careful," Yukari snapped, careful to keep her voice down. "They usually _won't_ die in just one hit, especially if they're prepared! It's easier to kill them if we can catch them by surprise, which means _not_ just charging in like some kind of maniac!"

"Yeah, yeah," Junpei muttered. He didn't seem entirely convinced, but he did seem to be making more of an effort to remain stealthy as they continued walking. Makoto could only hope that he'd really realize the importance of caution before he got them all — or at least himself — killed.

The next battle went much more smoothly. Yukari spotted a group of three Shadows when she peered around a corner, and she gestured for the other two to move past the tunnel in which they were lurking. Once they were in position, she drew attention to herself by firing an arrow at one of the Shadows.

The Shadows rushed at her, but failed to notice the pair at their back. Junpei's blows were more accurate this time, and Makoto's light erased them as easily as ever — they were down before they even realized they were under attack.

"And that's why we're being careful," Yukari declared. "See how much easier that was?"

Junpei rolled his eyes. "And what about when we can't surprise them, huh?"

"We fight back as well as we can, _as a team_ ," Yukari emphasized. "I can't fire arrows at an Shadow if you're too close to it, or I could hit you! We need to _plan_."

"You're doing well," Mitsuru's voice chipped in. "I can only sense a few more Shadows near your position — finish them off and then look for an exit."

"Sure thing, boss." Yukari's voice was chipper, but she rolled her eyes.

Makoto's eyes widened as she felt a presence and she shoved Yukari backward.

"Hey! Wha-" Yukari's indignant reaction was cut off when a Shadow's clawed hand tore through the space she had just occupied. Junpei rushed forward and engaged it in battle, but when Yukari moved to join him Makoto gestured for her to look in the other direction — three more Shadows were approaching.

"Finish that one quickly and help us out, Junpei," Yukari ordered. "There are more of them!"

"Got it!" Junpei grunted, blocking a strike that would have torn open his stomach.

Makoto and Yukari launched a simultaneous attack on the advancing Shadows, Yukari with her arrows and Makoto with rays of light. Anything bright enough to deal with the Shadows instantly would risk blinding them for a while, which was an unacceptable risk when more Shadows could be lurking nearby.

Even with Makoto's restricted offensive options, the pair managed to kill two of the Shadows and wound the third before Junpei was able to join them. A single hit from his sword was enough to finish off the Shadow, which had managed to advance into melee range largely by using its compatriots as shields.

"That's all of them." Mitsuru sounded relieved. "Good work. There should be a device somewhere on that floor that will let you return to the entrance — since there are no more Shadows, it would probably be fastest if you split up to search for it."

"I don't think splitting up is a good idea," Yukari disagreed, glaring at the ceiling as if she could see Mitsuru's face in the cracked paint. "We don't know if there are any Shadows that can hide from your Persona. If there are, that could be a death sentence. And how would we know where the others are if someone finds the exit, anyway?"

Makoto nodded. Splitting up did seem like a bad idea, though she suspected Yukari's disagreement was rooted more in her problems with Mitsuru than anything else. Still, the reasoning she presented was appropriately cautious for the Witching Hour.

It didn't take long to find the teleportation device that Mitsuru had mentioned — it was, in fact, just around another corner. After fumbling with the controls, Yukari managed to get it to turn on. A green light surrounded them and they found themselves appearing in a large device on the opposite side of the room from the door to the Velvet Room.

"Welcome back," Mitsuru greeted. "Do you feel like you're starting to get a handle on things?"

"Yes," Yukari answered firmly, defiantly glaring into Mitsuru's eyes.

Makoto sighed softly. The brown-haired girl really needed to stop being so stubborn — the fingers that she had clenched tightly around her bow were trembling. Still, she had done well for her first night.

"Man, that was exhausting," Junpei complained. "But did you see me? I was a total badass!" He swung his sword around wildly.

"Careful," Akihiko warned. "Don't hit anybody."

"Aw come on, whattaya take me for? 'Course I won't hit anybody!" Junpei laughed, but still stopped his actions.

"You all did well." Mitsuru smiled at them. "We should head back to the dorm— you look tired, and you've certainly earned a good night's sleep."

"I feel like I shouldn't be quite this tired," Yukari yawned. "I guess I have a lot of training to do."

"The Dark Hour causes you to grow fatigued much more easily," Mitsuru replied. "You'll get used to it over time, but it will never really go away."

Makoto rolled her eyes. No, it wouldn't just go away, but they could press back against it if they tried. Makoto had needed to learn how to do that early on — it's not like she had a safe spot to hide like they did now. Still, she wouldn't object to an excuse to return to her room and sleep, so she followed Mitsuru and the others as they headed back to the dorm.


	9. Weapons

****Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.).****

 ** **Weapons****

The next morning found Makoto sitting through yet another assembly. She made an effort to remain awake for once, having been informed that Mitsuru would be speaking. You could learn a lot about people from how they chose to present themselves to others, and it was unlikely that she'd get a chance to see the redhead in a more public setting than this.

Makoto channeled a small portion of Pixie's power to her eyes, letting her see Mitsuru as clearly as if she were standing next to her on the stage. The older girl appeared to be entirely collected, with no wrinkles or signs of sweat. Her voice was steady as she spoke, and pitched perfectly for the microphone.

An experienced public speaker, then. No matter how naturally confident someone was, the first time speaking in front of a crowd would draw some kind of reaction.

The opening of the speech was standard fare, but then Mitsuru entered her stride. A note of passion slipped into her voice as she spoke of the responsibility that both students and teachers had to improve the school. Makoto frowned as she listened to Mitsuru's talk of the need to restructure their lives for the sake of the institution.

So Mitsuru was that kind of person, then — the kind of person that needed an ordered life. Not entirely surprising, Makoto supposed. The blue-haired transfer student's own views on an orderly life were rather less complimentary — once someone has fallen into a routine, they become complacent and lose the ability to quickly adapt when the situation inevitably deteriorates.

She winced as a sudden burst of clapping and cheering pulled her out of her thoughts. The speech was over, then? Makoto suspected that the enthusiasm on display had more to do with the fact that it had come to an end than any of the content, unless the students simply hadn't understood it. How many of them would be cheering if they realized that they had been told to dedicate their lives to schoolwork?

Still, it hadn't been a complete waste of time — Makoto now knew to be even _more_ on guard against Mitsuru's words. The older girl's worldview was antithetical to Makoto's.

"Uh, do either of you have any idea what she just said?" Junpei whispered. "It sounded really cool, but it went right over my head."

Makoto shrugged and looked at Yukari, not having any real way to explain.

"She said that we need to be good students." Yukari rolled her eyes. "Her definition of being a good student involves dedicating ourselves to the school instead of having fun."

"Aw man, that sucks," Junpei groaned.

"Don't say that when Mitsuru-senpai is around," Yukari warned, joining Makoto as she slipped through the crowd exiting the auditorium.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Junpei yelped. "…Wait, don't answer that."

* * *

Makoto absently listened to Ms. Toriumi complain about the textbooks again as she shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable. If she wasn't mistaken, somebody had swapped out her chair for a more painful one. An attempt to keep her awake in class, no doubt. She smiled as she finally dozed off, the first lines of a poem serving as her lullaby.

As usual, she found herself shaken awake by Yukari at the end of the day.

"This is getting ridiculous, Makoto," the brown-haired girl admonished her. "You really do need to try paying attention in class. Don't you want to be able to pass the year? I mean, just imagine how Mitsuru-senpai will react if you fail the exams."

Makoto rolled her eyes. She had no intention of failing any exams, but even if she did, so what? Was she really supposed to believe she had some kind of future, let alone one where academics and degrees would matter? It was only a matter of time before she ran into a more powerful monster than herself, and that would be that.

"Lighten up, Yuka-tan," Junpei chipped in. "I'm sure she'll do fine — I mean, I pass my exams, ya know?"

Yukari groaned. "I suppose you do," she muttered. "I'll drop it for now, but this isn't over, Makoto. I mean it."

It appeared that there were some rather significant downsides to allowing Yukari to believe that she was close to Makoto. This kind of pushiness was undesirable, to say the least. The blue-haired girl didn't want nor need someone trying to tell her what was best for her.

"You guys got any plans today?" Junpei asked.

"Yeah, I have to go do some work for archery club," Yukari shrugged. "Just some prep for when recruitment opens — posters and stuff like that."

The pair turned their eyes to Makoto, who started to shake her head, but caught herself, remembering Igor's words.

 _"_ _If you have need of me outside of the Dark Hour, I would advise you to check the mall."_

She gave a slow nod. There _was_ something she could do — check up on Igor's research.

"No way, really?" Junpei gaped. "I was so sure you'd be free!"

Makoto shrugged.

"Whatever," the boy groaned. "Guess I'm gonna have to find someone else to hang with again."

"Sorry." Yukari didn't sound very sorry at all.

"Yeah, yeah." Junpei waved her off. "Wanna go as far as the gates with me at least, Makoto?"

Makoto shrugged again. Why not?

"See you later, Makoto." Yukari smiled and slipped out the door, off to her archery club activities.

Makoto stood up and followed Junpei out the door.

As they exited the doors of the school, a loud squeal pierced through Makoto's ears and made her wince.

"Akihiko-senpai! Wait for us!"

Oh, great. Akihiko had fangirls, apparently. Hopefully she wouldn't need to worry about them sneaking into the dorm.

Akihiko looked as calm as ever, not even looking at the small crowd of girls attempting to swarm him.

"Lucky bastard," Junpei scoffed under his breath. "Captain of the boxing team… How does that get him all the girls? I didn't think fangirls like that existed outside of anime!"

Makoto hadn't known that they existed either, if she was being honest. She wasn't, though, so she gave Junpei a knowing look and shook her head pityingly.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled at her. "You know everything, don't you?"

Makoto nodded decisively and the boy broke out into laughter.

"All hail the All-Knowing Queen of Dreamland, Makoto Moriya!" He declared in a deep announcer's voice, gesturing at her dramatically as if presenting her to a crowd.

This drew the attention of Akihiko, who quickly strode over to them.

"Are you free right now?" He asked bluntly.

"Uh, us?" Junpei stuttered, caught off guard. Makoto was about to shake her head, but Junpei beat her to the punch. "Yeah, definitely!"

Makoto glared at Junpei.

"Could you meet me at Paulownia Mall?" Akihiko asked.

Makoto stopped glaring. That was convenient, actually. Junpei knew the train system, so he could make sure she made it there. As long as whatever Akihiko wanted didn't take long, this could actually _save_ her time. Those train schedules were Lovecraftian.

"Sure." Junpei smiled, eyes darting to the crowd of girls that had followed Akihiko over. "Sounds great to me!"

"Good." Akihiko nodded. "I'll be at the police station. See ya there."

"The police station?" Junpei stuttered, enthusiasm vanishing. "Why the police station? We're not hangin' out with your friends there?"

"These girls?" Akihiko looked confused. "I don't even know who they are."

Makoto snickered at Junpei's downcast expression. Akihiko smirked at her.

"All of the noise they make gives me a headache," the silver-haired boy declared, pitching his voice so that his followers couldn't fail to hear it. The giggling and whispering immediately ceased as the group collectively wilted. Akihiko walked away without a second glance.

"Seriously?" Junpei gaped. "Look at them, Makoto!" He seized her shoulders and turned her to directly face the group. "You're a fellow appreciator of the beauty of the female form — just look at them! You see it, right? They're so cute!"

Makoto shrugged. She didn't think she was much of anything, let alone a "fellow appreciator of the beauty of the female form", but they were… Above average, she guessed? Maybe? How did you even define average for something like this? The one on the far right was kinda cute?

On the whole, she'd never paid much attention to peoples' looks outside of how well built they were for combat, so she wasn't the best judge. Maybe Akihiko just wasn't into women? Maybe Junpei had terrible taste? Both of those explanations seemed extremely plausible.

* * *

The trip to Paulownia Mall didn't take long, and they met up with Akihiko inside the small police station. He was talking to the officer behind the counter, a stern-faced middle-aged man.

Akihiko flashed them a smile in greeting. "These are the ones I was talking about earlier," he told the officer.

The older man directed his intense gaze to the newcomers. Makoto met it steadily, but Junpei flinched.

"This is Officer Kurosawa," Akihiko told them. "Without him, we wouldn't have any of the weaponry we use to fight Shadows. Here, take this — it's from Ikutsuki-san."

Makoto held out her hand and he dropped 5000 yen into it, then did the same for Junpei.

"Sweet!" Junpei whistled.

Makoto rolled her eyes. Only 5000 yen? She could get that much in five minutes of monster slaying.

…Actually, she'd never thought about it before, but how did that work? When she killed monsters, money popped out, but where did it come from?

Eh, probably just from their victims. That was what made the most sense, at any rate… Though the idea of those creatures needing money was somewhat absurd. It's not like they could walk into a convenience store and buy a bento.

"Officer Kurosawa is constantly working on locating stronger weapons for us, so make sure you drop in regularly," Akihiko continued. "He's got some pretty interesting connections. Just make sure you've got cash — everything will still cost you."

"Of course it will," the officer cut in harshly. "Nothing in life is free, and this is no exception."

"I realize that," Akihiko soothed. "I'll see you soon — thanks again." He walked out, leaving Makoto and Junpei alone with the officer.

Makoto wasn't entirely certain of the legality of this setup, but hey, who was she to judge? She had done enough stealing during the Witching Hour that she didn't really have any room to look down on a cop who sold weapons on the side.

"He told me a lot about you two," Officer Kurosawa grunted. "I'm an officer of the law, so my job is to make sure this city stays peaceful. I'm no genius, but it's obvious that something weird is going on here — and you kids are apparently the only ones with any chance of stopping it. I'll do my part to help keep you equipped, but if you use anything you get from me against the people of the city…" He trailed off, eyes hardening.

Makoto nodded at him. She could respect that, even if she was sure he couldn't do a thing to hurt her.

"Yeah, no problem," Junpei stuttered. "I'm here to protect people, not hurt them."

"Good," the officer nodded. "All right then, take a look."

He pulled a large case from beneath the desk and opened it up. Makoto let out a low whistle as she examined his stock — it was actually much higher quality than she had expected, though the price tags on the good stuff were far beyond their meager 5000 yen budget. She could dig into her savings, of course, but… Well.

She could manifest much more powerful gear for herself if she needed it, though it was draining and wouldn't last long. She ended up buying a bow of slightly higher quality than the one Yukari was currently wielding with her yen and helped Junpei pick out a decent sword that fit within his budget.

"Damn," Junpei groaned as they walked out. "5000 yen really didn't go far… Stingy-ass Chairman. I'm gonna head on out. I'm not gonna be great company right now, sorry."

Makoto waved him off. That was fine — she needed to find the entrance to the Velvet Room that Igor had hinted was somewhere in the mall. She summoned enough of Pixie's power that the air around her began to grow heavy, then extended her awareness outward. She wasn't much of a sensor — she certainly couldn't do anything like Mitsuru could — but she could function effectively at a short range and the Velvet Room had a distinctive power to it.

It wasn't long before she felt the familiar aura of the Velvet Room coming from a small maintenance corridor beneath some stairs. Sure enough, a glowing door lay against the wall much as it had in Tartarus. Makoto layered several protective spells over her body as insurance, then opened the door and stepped inside.


	10. The Arcana

****Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.).****

 ** **The Arcana****

Makoto was instantly on guard when she saw the inhabitants of the room — the number had grown to three. Igor was there, of course, leering at her from its usual seat, and Elizabeth stood by its left shoulder. It was the new creature at Igor's right that most concerned her, however. She would recognize that body anywhere.

The new creature looked just like _her_ , save for the butterfly-winged mask covering much of its face, leaving only half of its mouth and chin visible. Rage built up in her chest — how _dare_ this thing take on her shape? Only the immense power that she felt within it kept her in check. Whatever it was, she didn't hold a candle to its strength.

"Welcome back," Igor greeted. "I trust you are here to learn the results of my research?"

Makoto nodded as she slid into the chair across from Igor.

"Very well," the creature smiled. "Ordinarily, it is my job to create new Personas. I do so by combining other, already-existing Personas… But I am unable to do that for you, due to your circumstances. My master has knowledge of your condition, and consented to come here to explain it to you."

So the new creature was Igor's master, was it? Makoto wasn't surprised — the power gap between the two was enormous. It was concerning, however. Just why did this place exist?

"If you would perform a reading first, Igor, that would be much appreciated," Igor's master spoke, voice cracked and rusty. Makoto imagined that was much how her own voice would sound now, and the hate surged again — no matter how powerful it was, this creature had no right to break her silence.

"As you command," Igor bowed in its seat. It waved a hand and a small stack of cards appeared on the table between them. "Are you familiar with the practice of Tarot reading?" It asked Makoto as the cards danced through the air, shuffling themselves.

Makoto shrugged. She had heard of it, but knew nothing about how it actually worked.

"It's actually quite interesting," Igor hummed. "And in the hands of a master, an excellent way to cut through to the truth of the world. I am… Quite gifted at the practice, if you will permit me to say as much."

Makoto rolled her eyes at the boast, but accepted the creature's words. There had to be some reason that its master kept it around, and a talent for divination would be a powerful asset.

"There are many ways to use the Tarot," Igor continued. "At the very base, you have the choice of using the entire deck, both the Major and Minor Arcana, or to simply use one or the other. Beyond that is your choice of spread…" The cards landed on the table, divided themselves into even smaller stacks and began swapping back and forth. "For this reading, I will be using the Major Arcana alone. It is an occasion worthy of their input, I believe. My spread will cover your past, your present, and your future."

Igor's mismatched eyes locked on to Makoto's own as the cards finally settled. "Are you ready?" It asked.

Makoto nodded firmly. She wasn't afraid of whatever the cards may say — she had survived her past and would fight against her future until her body broke and could fight no more.

"Very well," Igor gave her its hideous smile, then flipped its hand. The top card flipped with it, landing between them.

The card depicted a black tree topped with an enormous heart, a dark sun shining overhead. The silhouettes of a man and a woman were placed on either side of the tree.

Makoto raised an eyebrow. The card was upside-down.

"Oh my," Igor murmured. "Your past… The Lovers, but in reverse." It sighed, looking at her with sympathy written all over its strange features. "Inconsistency and fear of commitment, unhealthy relationships and disharmony… When placed in reverse, the Lovers represents the inner conflict and isolation of a person unable to connect to others, someone whose relationships are rough and end poorly."

Makoto caught herself as she began to flinch, but she had no doubt that the three gazing at her had seen the reaction. Igor was right — its skill at Tarot reading was formidable indeed.

"As a card speaking for the past," Igor sighed. "The Lovers in reverse represents a history of short-lived, inconstant relationships broken apart by the individual's inability to deal with others."

…Formidable indeed. Makoto refused to look away and gestured for the creature to continue.

Igor's hand flipped once more and a second card landed on the table beside the first. This one depicted the silhouette of a man with a bag on a stick over his shoulder, stepping forward as a dog followed behind.

"Your present is the Fool." A smile lit upon Igor's lips. "The name is unpleasant, perhaps, but it is certainly not a poor card to find in a spread. Potential and innocence, a second chance and a time for change…" Its eyes gazed off into the distance beyond Makoto. "The Fool represents the start of a journey, a time when an individual is able to change from the past and enter into a new phase of life. As a card speaking for the present, the Fool represents a time of vibrant change. The individual will not be the same from this time on — the tide of events will sweep them forward."

Makoto wasn't sure what to make of that. Why should she change? She was doing well so far, wasn't she?

 _Was she really supposed to believe_ _she had_ _some kind of future,_ _let alone one where academics and degrees would matter_ _?_ _It was only a matter of time before she ran into a_ _more powerful_ _monster_ _than herself_ _, and that would be that._

…No. Igor was wrong this time. Makoto knew what would come next. She gestured for Igor to draw the last card. A hand flipped. A card flew.

A pair of doors emblazoned with a skull.

"Death," Igor intoned.

Makoto nodded. She had expected as much.

"Liberation and rebirth, necessary change and leaving the past behind…" Igor seemed more solemn than it had been even after seeing her past. "Death represents change for the individual's personality or situation, powerful and irreversible." It gazed at her intently. "As a card speaking for the future, Death represents a time divorced from that which came before. What that means…" It shrugged. "I could perhaps hazard a guess."

Makoto raised an eyebrow at it. Death seemed pretty self-explanatory to her.

"Death does not always mean death as you imagine it," Igor explained patiently. "While it can represent that, of course, its meaning can often be interpreted from the trend of the spread." It smiled at her. "This spread began with tragedy, of course." Its thin fingers caressed the Lovers card, then trailed over to the Fool. "But then here we have change, positive change." The fingers finally came to a rest on the skull on the Death card. "And there are few cards that indicate change as powerful as that of Death. If I were to interpret this…" Its smile softened as it gazed at the card, becoming almost wistful.

"A future where the individual's past flaws have been burned away and no longer hold them back from embracing the world." Its eyes refocused, returning to Makoto. "That is certainly the future I hope you find." It gave her a gentle smile, nothing like the leering grin she had grown used to. Its expression was almost _kind_.

Makoto rolled her eyes. What a ridiculous idea. Still… Try as she might, she couldn't dismiss it entirely, what with how eerily accurate Igor's reading of her past had been. Damn this creature.

The sound of soft clapping filled the room. She looked over at Igor's master as it spoke up once more.

"Bravo, Igor. You certainly haven't lost your touch."

"Thank you, Master." The creature inclined its head.

"And now it is my turn," the masked master declared, a smile curving the visible portion of its mouth. "My name is Philemon, a dweller in the unconscious mind. It is I who grant to humans the power of Persona."

Makoto nodded. It made sense that such a powerful entity was a deity of some kind. The only question was whether it was on Makoto's side or standing against her.

"I am on your side," Philemon said calmly, "just as I am on the side of all humans. Your situation does not change that — indeed, it is hardly one unique to yourself, though it is certainly uncommon. Tell me, have you fought any creatures outside of the Witching Hour?"

Makoto nodded.

"Would you say that the creatures inside and outside of the Witching Hour are the same?"

Makoto began to nod, but thought better of it. Were they the same? They certainly _looked_ different, but they were all monsters. She had believed that the shadowy trappings that they took on during the Witching Hour were something to do with the hour's strangeness, but what if they were simply different in nature?

She shook her head slowly.

"Correct. What you have encountered outside of the Witching Hour are demons, not Shadows. My Persona users have fought both over the years, but demons more frequently than Shadows. The two are quite different — Shadows are cast by humanity under the auspices of the Mother, while demons… Well, their existence is a strange and mutable thing."

How interesting. Makoto suspected she knew where this was going. If Shadows were cast by humans, then when one considered the similarity of their brand of magic to that used by the other members of S.E.E.S.…

"Yes, that's right. Personas are Shadows under the control of humans," Philemon smiled again. "Some of the Shadows that run free and prey on humanity were once Personas that for one reason or another were able to turn on and devour their masters. Your Pixie represents another turn that a Persona can take, however."

"Yes, your Pixie was once a Persona," the deity said, raising a hand to forestall Makoto's rolling eyes. "Her state now is rather more complicated. Under the right circumstances, a Persona can cross the line and become a demon. In most cases this will result in the new demon quickly consuming its old master, but every now and then the connection between them will be strong enough that it remains in a state partially between Persona and demon. Tell me, have you noticed anything different about yourself when you draw on large amounts of Pixie's power?"

Makoto nodded slowly. The more she used Pixie's magic, the more emotional she felt. When she didn't have any running through her, she rarely felt much of anything but her paranoia.

"A Persona becomes a demon when its host fills it with all of their emotions, leaving none for themselves." Philemon shook its head. "It is a sorry state you find yourself in. Anything you feel now is simply a ghost of what you once might have felt, while your Pixie will experience the emotions in full in your place."

Makoto wanted to disagree, but what Philemon was saying made sense, and she had no evidence to the contrary — certainly nothing that could stand up against the word of a god.

"It is possible that one day you will reclaim your emotions and Pixie will once more become a Persona." Philemon smiled gently at her. "But until that day, I am afraid that the Velvet Room's services will be of little use to you."

"You are still welcome here, however," Igor interjected. "You signed the contract, and so you are our guest. If you wish to have a place to rest, you may feel free to visit."

"Do stop by," Elizabeth implored. "I so rarely get the chance to see anyone from the outside, and I have many things that I would like to ask you to do — for prizes, of course!"

Makoto nodded at them. It appeared that the Velvet Room was safe enough, for now. Moreover, creatures this powerful might be able to give truly spectacular rewards for the tasks that they set her. She would certainly take the time to see what Elizabeth wanted.

"Until next time." Philemon vanished in a cloud of blue butterflies as the words left its mouth.

Makoto gave a small wave to Igor and Elizabeth as she stood up and left the room. Back in the mall proper, she pulled her map out of her bag. How hard could it be to pick the right train to get back to the dorm?


	11. Birds

****Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.).****

 ** **Birds****

The answer, as it turned out, was 'very difficult' — it took Makoto two hours of riding the wrong trains to finally arrive at the dorm. Never again, she swore. She was dragging _someone_ with her from now on whenever she had to get around this hellscape, whether they wanted to join her or not. She _hated_ this place.

Still, she was here now. She glanced up at the sky before heading inside — the sun had almost finished sinking beneath the horizon.

"Ah, there you are." Mitsuru greeted her with a smile from her position on the couch. "We've been discussing it, and we think that Takeba should continue to lead the team for now. Akihiko is still recovering, and she did an adequate job. Is that fine with you?"

Makoto nodded. That was certainly preferable to allowing Junpei to lead. While the boy had performed surprisingly well in combat after his initial misstep, his tactical prowess left much to be desired.

"I'm glad you agree." Mitsuru's smile brightened. "I was very impressed with her work, especially for her first time. You made a good call."

Makoto's lips quirked up in what could almost be called a smile. Yes, for a rookie Yukari hadn't done badly at all. She had a great deal of room to grow, of course, and she would need to watch her emotions… But everyone had to start somewhere.

"Please make sure to meet us here in the lounge ten minutes before midnight," the redhead requested. "Takeba wants to continue exploring Tartarus tonight."

Makoto nodded and headed up the stairs to her room, recognizing the dismissal. She ignored the Chairman's attempts to catch her attention — she had little interest in entertaining the airheaded fool.

She sat down at her desk, intending to get her homework out of the way, but quickly found herself dozing off.

* * *

She was shaken awake by Yukari twenty minutes before midnight.

"Honestly, Makoto." The brown-haired girl shook her head, an exasperated smile on her face. "I'm glad I decided to check on you. Do you ever stay awake for more than five minutes?"

Makoto raised an eyebrow at her pointedly.

"Outside of the Dark Hour." Yukari rolled her eyes. "You knew what I meant."

The blue-haired girl shrugged and rose to her feet, strolling past Yukari and down to the lounge. She heard a huff behind her as the other girl followed.

"Are we all ready to go?" Mitsuru asked. It seemed that she and Yukari were the last to arrive, despite being early. Junpei looked impatient, shifting from foot to foot.

"Yes," Yukari replied, posture stiff.

"To Tartarus we go!" Akihiko punched the air.

Mitsuru punched his arm.

"Why do you keep doing that, you crazy woman?" He hissed, doubling over. "Do you want to break it again?"

"No, I want you to stop getting overexcited." She sighed. "It won't be _that_ much longer before you're healed, if you take it easy."

"I know, I know…" He grumbled. "Let's just get moving."

* * *

Junpei was still reckless, but nothing like he had been the previous night. He waited when asked, he kept his voice and footsteps quiet, he attempted to make room for Yukari and Makoto to fire at Shadows without hitting him. Makoto was impressed, but wondered how long it would last — it was obvious that he was chafing under the slow pace.

Their caution made the climb uneventful until they reached the fifth floor.

Yukari and Junpei were both tired, their bodies sore and their breath labored. Makoto was disappointed by their lack of endurance, but she supposed she could be charitable — she remembered her own early days all too clearly.

The sound of wings had Makoto cursing and tackling Yukari to the ground, a dark shape skimming through the space the brown-haired girl had just been occupying. Junpei was not so lucky, receiving a long scratch down his arm from a second flying Shadow.

A third swooped down as the first pair circled around, but was dissolved by a shining light from Makoto's hand.

"Thanks, Makoto," Yukari coughed as she got back to her feet, taking aim at one of the remaining Shadows. "How are you, Junpei?"

"I've had worse!" The boy was doing his best to fend off the smaller of the two bird-like foes, but its agility was allowing it to land more hits than he could block.

Makoto sighed. If she _really_ stepped in here, they wouldn't get the kind of practice they needed against stronger enemies… But with how tired they were, could she afford to wait?

Yukari's scream as her leg was ripped open settled the issue.

The blue-haired girl stepped forward, cupped hands outstretched. A light began to build in her palms, growing brighter and brighter until the entire room was lit by a white so bright that it was blinding.

When it died down and their eyesight returned, the Shadows were gone.

"Holy shit," Junpei whispered, staring at Makoto. "What was that…?"

Makoto shrugged.

"Whatever it was, thanks." Yukari, done sealing her injury, moved over to Junpei. He was quickly surrounded with the green glow of healing magic.

"Thanks." The boy slowly stretched. "I don't know if I can continue tonight, guys."

"I _know_ I can't," Yukari grumbled. "Come on, I saw something that looked like one of those teleporters back near the stairs."

Yukari was right — there was a teleporter near the stairs. It was, however, rather different from the small one they had used the night before. After they activated it, it displayed a list of possible travel locations — though the only options at the moment appeared to be the first floor and the floor that they were on.

"This will be useful." Yukari smiled. "Imagine how much time we can save on climbing if there are more of these!"

Makoto nodded pensively. She had been wondering how they would climb the tower if the others got tired so quickly, and this would be a good way to get around the problem. Hopefully their endurance would grow quickly enough that they could climb more than five floors per trip — who knew whether the spacing would remain the same?

* * *

"Good work," Mitsuru greeted. "Those last Shadows were no joke."

"We didn't do much," Junpei objected. "They were kicking our asses! Makoto's the one you should be congratulating."

"It's only your second night," Mitsuru soothed. "The fact that you managed to hold one of them off like you did is still impressive. That said…" She turned to Makoto. "How in the world did you do that? That wasn't normal light, or it wouldn't have affected the Shadows at all."

Makoto shrugged again. In truth, she wasn't entirely sure what it was, just that it was the form her magic took when she manifested it. When focused, it seemed to ignore all defenses and simply erase her target.

"Hmmm." Akihiko examined her. "Well, whatever it is, good job. We'll be counting on you as our trump card."

Makoto nodded. If she was going to be expected to do that more often… Her eyes trailed over to the door to the Velvet Room.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to see what they knew.


	12. Elizabeth's Trip

****Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or related properties. They all belong to their respective owners, namely Atlus and its parents (at this time: Sega Games Co., Sega Sammy Holdings, etc.).****

 ** **Elizabeth's Trip****

Makoto sighed, face pressed against the surface of her desk. She was so _tired_.

It had been a week since the incident with the birds, and the most exciting thing since then had been their encounter with a single enormous Shadow on the 14th floor. In the end, it had gone down without incident — Yukari was getting more comfortable with coordinating their efforts in battle, and Junpei was turning out to be an effective team player when he tried.

Any further upward progress had been blocked by a strange gate that reassembled itself as fast as it could be destroyed. Makoto had tried completely erasing it with her light — the "almighty" element, Igor had called it — but even that had proven ineffective, the gate regrowing so quickly it had been a blur.

The residents of the Velvet Room hadn't been as much help with her power as she had hoped — Elizabeth had been able to give her a few tips on shaping it more effectively, and Igor had named it, but it was apparently a rare affinity and they had no experience with humans who controlled it by instinct. Elizabeth's own affinity was for almighty, but her training methods were extreme enough that no human could survive them.

Which led to Makoto's current position — bored out of her mind, wondering what to do next. Yukari had been a slavedriver even after their progress had been blocked, insisting that they continue to train against the Shadows on lower floors to ensure that they wouldn't lose their edge and, she hoped, become strong enough to get past the gate. It just wasn't _interesting —_ the fights were trivial for the blue-haired girl.

Her phone rang and she blinked. Who had her number? She only owned the thing because Mitsuru had insisted they have some way to contact her in an emergency.

The voice on the other side of the phone answered her unspoken question. "It's Elizabeth! Please come to the Velvet Room. See you soon!"

Makoto stared at the phone. That had been… Abrupt. Well, at least she had a goal now.

She grabbed Junpei and made increasingly frustrated gestures until he figured out that she wanted him to take her to the mall.

Perhaps she should invest in a pad of paper. Writing down her desires would be less frustrating than _this_.

* * *

Junpei had been exasperated that Makoto immediately ditched him to stare at a wall behind the stairs, but he'd get over it.

"Greetings!" Elizabeth was as exuberant as always. "I have a big favor to ask. Remember when I told you I'd have tasks for you?"

Makoto nodded.

"I'm ready to start handing them out." The white-haired creature grinned at her. "I've got a list right here!"

An enormous book thumped onto the table. Makoto opened it apprehensively. 'Bring me pine resin?' 'I'd like to visit Paulownia Mall?' What strange requests.

Well, one of them was simple enough, at least. She pointed to the request that read 'I'd like to visit Paulownia Mall', then gestured at the door.

"Truly? Right now?" Elizabeth's smile was blinding.

Makoto nodded. No time like the present.

The pair exited the room, and Makoto held out her hand for her reward. Elizabeth was in Paulownia Mall, task completed.

…Except instead of handing her a reward, Elizabeth happily grasped her hand and strode deeper into the mall, pulling her along.

"Oh my," the creature exclaimed, staring at the fountain in the center of the mall.

Makoto fruitlessly tried to free her hand from Elizabeth's grasp. How was she so _strong_?

"Is this… A _fountain_?" Elizabeth asked her breathlessly.

Makoto nodded.

"Such a blasphemous device…" The words were spoken with awe, not disgust. "Water, the foundation of all life, forced to dance for the amusement of humans… And yet it will grant wishes for naught but a few coins!"

Makoto shrugged. She'd certainly never had a wish come true after putting coins in a fountain, but they _were_ living in a world where an entire hour existed outside of normal time. Hell, demons were apparently real and one was living in her head. Maybe fountains just didn't like her?

"I _must_ try this for myself." Elizabeth's eyes were burning with determination as she pulled out a small coinpurse. "I prepared a small number of coins in preparation for just such an event — 2,000 of your 500-yen coins!" She upended the thing, and Makoto stared as a rain of coins that far exceeded the volume of the bag splashed into the fountain.

Well, that was one way to get your wish granted, she supposed. Outbid all of the competition.

"Oh." Elizabeth's eyes widened. "I forgot to make a wish!"

Makoto closed her eyes and prayed to Pixie for patience.

"Next time I shall prepare a wish in advance alongside the coins." Elizabeth was beaming, seeming to have moved past her disappointment already as she dragged Makoto away from the fountain.

"And what is this?" Elizabeth had stopped in front of the police station, and was eagerly peering through the windows at the officers inside. Some were staring back at her, clearly not amused. Makoto attempted to convey sympathy with her eyes, even as she failed to tug Elizabeth away. "These posters… Most Wanted? Reward? Ah! These are like my subjugation requests."

She seemed pleased by her deduction, so Makoto just nodded. She was pretty sure you weren't supposed to kill wanted criminals, but it was close enough, really. Right?

"How do you prove that the target has been eliminated?" Elizabeth examined more posters. "None of these say which body parts should be returned. Perhaps I should go inside and ask?"

Makoto rapidly shook her head and once more tried to pull Elizabeth away.

"Another time, then." The creature nodded decisively, allowing Makoto to move her.

Unfortunately for Makoto, she hadn't really been paying attention to which direction she was trying to go, and they had ended up in front of Escapade.

"Oh my! Is this… A 'club'?" Elizabeth was bouncing. "A sea of writhing bodies, ruled by music and pleasure, encouraged by fizzy drinks… Oh, I simply must take a look!"

Elizabeth reached for the door handle, but stopped in disappointment when she noticed that the sign was flipped to closed. Makoto closed her eyes and thanked every god whose name she could remember: Nyx, Odin, Quetzalcoatl, Shiva, Amaterasu… It was some time before she reached the end of her list. She was so distracted, in fact, that she hadn't noticed that Elizabeth had begun dancing with her — she had simply assumed she was being dragged around again.

When she _did_ open her eyes and notice, her panicked flailing caused them to trip and end up in the nearest fountain. Elizabeth's wild laughter did nothing to stop the stares they were receiving. Makoto's eyes spotted Junpei at the edge of the crowd, the boy clearly enjoying her misfortune. She shot him a death glare, and he gave her an innocent shrug. She tried a pleading expression, but he just mouthed "good luck" and walked off, an extra spring in his step.

Makoto was going to get him back for this later. He was doomed, he just didn't know it yet.

"I can't remember the last time I had this much fun." Elizabeth grinned at her. "I know! How about you choose our next activity?"

The blue-haired girl cast her eyes around, desperate to find something that would finally get Elizabeth to unhand her. The creature's grip was so tight that Makoto was pretty sure she was going to have a rather large bruise.

Her gaze landed on the arcade. _Perfect._ Elizabeth couldn't _possibly_ play a game that required two hands without letting go. She pointed.

"An arcade!" Elizabeth squealed. "Is it truly a garden of electric fairies in which one might play for prizes?"

Makoto stared at her, not sure whether she should be honest or go with the answer more likely to get Elizabeth to dart over there and unhand her more quickly.

She nodded, and the next thing she knew she was literally being dragged along the ground in Elizabeth's mad dash to reach the arcade. Perhaps she should have thought that through a little more carefully.

* * *

Three hours later, Makoto collapsed on a bench by the mall's central fountain. She was right — her hand was bruised.

Junpei plopped down next to her. "Had fun?" He grinned.

Makoto shot him the strongest glare she could muster. It came out as more of an exhausted grimace.

The boy patted her shoulder. "Hey, at least you didn't lose _every_ game you played against her, right? Not like when I went up against Yukari." He shuddered.

That was true — wait. Makoto narrowed her eyes at Junpei.

He held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa! It's not like I was stalking you. I was at the arcade before you guys!" He gave her a considering look. "Who was she, anyway? She didn't seem… Uh, entirely…" He floundered.

Makoto nodded, then did her best impression of an alien, giving herself little wiggly antennae with her hands.

"She's a demon?" Junpei's eyes were wide.

…Okay, so maybe she wasn't the best at charades. Demon worked too — it's not like she _really_ knew what Elizabeth was — so she nodded.

"Huh." The boy's eyes glazed. "Well, good luck with that one. What's the deal, you go on dates with her and she doesn't eat your soul?"

Makoto slapped him with her unbruised hand and did her best to pantomime the situation.

"So… She needed a tour guide, and you got roped into it?" Junpei finally asked.

Makoto nodded.

"I am so glad that I am not you."

 ** **A/N: In other news, since I'm doing well on advance chapters of my primary fics, I actually have a handful of chapters of a Naruto fic my friend has been bugging me to write. I'm not exactly a huge Naruto fan, myself, but there are some really cool powers, so it's something I had wanted to do anyway... Well, no need to excuse myself for writing what I want, right? How insecure does that sound?****

 **I see two ways I could do this: put those up now and update it whenever I get out a new chapter, with no fixed schedule (meaning it could receive faster or slower updates than my primaries, depending on how that works out) without it having any effect on the update rate of my main stories, or wait until one of the mains is complete and do it as a new main.**

 **Acheron's chapter total has been more-or-less fixed since it's fully outlined - it'll be about 29 chapters in length, possibly one or two more or less depending on how long things actually get when I write the actual content of the chapters. The length for Bonds is still very much up in the air - I know how it ends, I know most of the plot points along the way, but I don't know how long it'll take to get there, just that it will almost certainly end up longer than Acheron.**

 **Acheron is up for chapter 7 next week, which means it still has 22-ish to go at a rate of one every other week, or another 44 weeks. That's nearly a year!**

 **So... Any preferences? I'll emphasize again that neither one will have any effect on the update rate for my current stories. The first option will have an inconsistent update rate but will at least _begin_ posting now (and transition to a main story with the usual rate if it's still incomplete when I finish Acheron or Bonds), while the second would have the same one-every-other-week rate as my main stories now but not have any posting until a slot opens for it.**


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